After being released by the Rams earlier this offseason, veteran offensive tackle Jake Long is paying a visit to another NFC club. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (via Twitter), Long is in Atlanta today to take a physical and work out for the Falcons.
Long, 30, saw time in just seven games for the Rams last season thanks to a torn ACL. The former No. 1 overall pick had been in St. Louis for the past two seasons after spending the first five years of his career with the Dolphins. There was some talk that Long could play on the right side with 2014 No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson taking his place on the left, but that never came to fruition.
Long has torn his ACL in each of the prior two seasons, playing in just 22 games during that stretch. Last season, Pro Football Focus as (subscription required) ranked him as just the No. 36 tackle out of 84 qualified players. In 2013, however, Long graded out as the seventh-best tackle in the league with a strong 22.5 overall score, based on PFF’s advanced metrics.
Earlier this offseason, Long paid the Giants a visit, but it doesn’t appear New York ever got serious about signing him, though Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com (Twitter link) says that door isn’t completely closed. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap is skeptical that Long will land anywhere, given his health issues, tweeting that a contract would probably have to be heavy on incentives for games played and overall playing time.
If Long were to join the Falcons, he’d be protecting Matt Ryan, the player who went third overall in 2008, two spots after the Dolphins selected Long.
Jake Matthews was pretty awful last season, but you’d have to think that Long would be signing to play on the right side.