NFL Rumors: Washington Redskins frontrunners to sign Chris Long?
Are the Washington Redskins the favorites to sign Chris Long?
The Washington Redskins have come into this offseason aggressively looking to upgrade a defense that ranked among the worst in the NFL in 2015. Their weakest link last year was their secondary and defensive line. With some cap space, they can finally target who they want. One of those guys is former Rams defensive lineman Chris Long. Long was apparently impressed during his visit with the Redskins.
Chris Long enjoyed his visit with the Skins and has genuine interest in them. More free-agent trips planned but impressed thus far
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 9, 2016
Signing Long would be a quick and efficient way for the Redskins to improve their defensive line. Listed at 275 pounds, Long would likely need to bulk up a little bit to be an efficient defensive end in the Redskins 3-4 system. He likely has the intelligence, explosiveness, and speed to be an efficient outside linebacker for the Redskins as well.
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Chris Long is looking for somewhere to rebuild his career as he saw his role diminish with the Rams over the past few seasons for a variety of reasons. Though he has just four sacks over his last two seasons in 18 games, Long had 8.5 sacks as recently as 2013. Washington is a perfect team to take a chance on him at the right price and see if he can get back to that level. The Redskins need all the pass rush help they can get and Long is one of the most experienced ones on the market.