Jake Long was long considered one of the top offensive tackles in the NFL after being drafted number one overall out of Michigan, but after a string of injuries, the future of the Miami Dolphins star is up in the air, although he appears healthy.
According to Yahoo Sports, Dr. James Andrews, who performed surgery on Long's triceps recently, said that the tackle "looked great" and that there shouldn't be lingering issues. Long had the surgery following an injury in December that forced him to go on injured reserve.
"I just saw him [Wednesday] and he looked great," said Andrews. He also said that Long's knee is much better and that the player is "the best he has felt in years."
Long missed the last four games of the regular season after injuring his left triceps and that was also in addition to missing the final game of the previous season with a biceps injury. Long had been fairly healthy for the bulk of his career, but last season he also needed shoulder and knee surgery.
Long was a very durable player before last season, playing in every game apart from two before missing time last year. He was a Pro Bowl player over the past three years before 2012 and the 27-year-old is one of the top free agent left tackles, as the Dolphins decided not to use the franchise tag on him.
The Dolphins have a number of free agent players to deal with and they used their franchise tag on Randy Starks. Long was the number one overall pick in 2008 and over the past two seasons he has regressed as a blocker. He was considered one of the best at his position before the injuries and there is a chance the Dolphins could let him go if he doesn't want to return to the team at a discounted rate.
The Dolphins have to think about losing or re-signing Brian Hartline, Reggie Bush as well as Sean Smith on top of Long. They have been rumored to be interested in wideouts Mike Wallace and Greg Jennings and could decide to bring back Long if they can fit him with the salary cap.
"Theoretically, none of those guys are irreplaceable," an NFL source said to Yahoo. "But that's a lot of guys to replace at one time. That's the problem. You're talking about going and getting four brand-new starters between free agency and the draft just to be coming back as the same team you were.
Ryan Tannehill needs protection on the line and also needs weapons on offense. Long could solve a number of issues for the Dolphins and would have then keep a player they invested a ton of money in as a number one pick.
"Throw in the fact that you have a young quarterback [Ryan Tannehill is going into his second year] and that's a lot of change. To me, if you think Long is healthy, you better think long and hard about him. He wasn't very good last year, but he was hurt. If he's healthy again, he takes care of a lot of problems," the source said.
If Long does leave, he could head to Chicago, where the team is looking to upgrade along the offensive line. The Dolphins went just 7-9 last season and tied with the Jets in the AFC East.
