Some league insiders believe that offensive tackle Jake Long‘s legs are “shot,” according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That bit of news clashes with a report from Sunday, in which Long himself claimed that he is finally healthy and ready for a new opportunity. The 31-year-old Long only appeared in four games with the Falcons last season, but he did score a workout with the Bears earlier this month. Unfortunately for Long, Chicago went with fellow offensive lineman Nate Chandler instead, so Long will continue to sit on the free agent market for the time being.
Here’s more from around the NFL…
- Despite some talk to the contrary, the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee will in fact recommend a stadium plan for the Raiders, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. The plan may not be OK’d on Thursday, he adds, but he hears that it will happen sometime soon. The MGM Grand is fighting the stadium and they could look to counter any approval via the legislature.
- After adding Kelechi Osemele, Bruce Irvin, and Sean Smith this offseason, ESPN.com’s AFC West writers debated whether the Raiders stand as the most improved team in the division. Jeff Legwold writes that he would be extremely surprised if Oakland didn’t end the playoff drought and notes that Denver made the playoffs in 2014 after a similar free agency binge netted them DeMarcus Ware, Emmanuel Sanders, and T.J. Ward.
- After spending the offseason putting better pieces around Teddy Bridgewater, the Vikings should be even better than they were in 2015 when they captured the NFC North crown, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. This spring, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman signed established veterans Alex Boone and Andre Smith to start on the offensive line while also bolstering the secondary.
- The Saints are excited about Canadian import Erik Harris, as Christopher Dabe of The Times-Picayune writes. “He has been a pleasant surprise,” head coach Sean Payton said. “When you get a player from Canada, it is really a free agent signing, so you have not had to use a draft pick.” As shown on Roster Resource, the former Hamilton Tiger-Cats standout is vying with Alden Darby to occupy one of the final safety spots on the team.