NFL Free Agency: Jake Long Given Clean Bill of Health From Dr. Andrews
By Josh Sanchez
Miami Dolphins free agent offensive tackle Jake Long will be one of the most talented players on the open market once the new league year begins on March 12, but there have been some questions about how much interest he will generate.
A big part of the lack of initial interest in Long comes from teams questioning whether he is truly a left tackle or if he should play right tackle.
Long also has injury concerns, especially with the torn triceps that was torn in Week 13 of last season.
If teams are concerned about Long’s health, they shouldn’t worry. Dr. James Andrews, the man who performed the surgery on Long’s torn triceps, says that the free agent tackle has a clean bill of health.
“I just saw him [Wednesday] and he looked great,” said Andrews.
“I asked him about his knee and he said it’s the best he has felt in years. Like I said, this is the kind of kid you want. I’m not worried about him at all.”
If Long is healthy, that could really pick up the interest and start to generate more buzz around league circles. One league source told Yahoo! Sports that if Long really is 100 percent that the Dolphins should reconsider letting him walk on the open market.
“To me, if you think Long is healthy, you better think long and hard about him,” the source said. “He wasn’t very good last year, but he was hurt. If he’s healthy again, he takes care of a lot of problems.”
With the news of Long’s clean bill of health, we could begin to hear more teams popping up in the Jake Long market.
The official start of free agency is just a few days away, so prepare for the wild ride.