Many Around NFL Believe Veteran OT Jake Long’s Legs “Are Shot”

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, many around the NFL believe veteran OT Jake Long‘s legs “are shot.”

This comes just a few days after Long told Michael Rothstein of ESPN that he’s the “healthiest and best I’ve felt in probably about five, six years” and his troublesome knee is back to being where it was.

“I’m finally healthy,” Long said on Saturday. “This is the healthiest and best I’ve felt in probably about five, six years. My knee’s back. I’ve just been working out, feeling good and ready for the opportunity when it comes along.”

Long added that he’s looking for another opportunity in the NFL and believes his time away has actually helped, as it’s allowed him to heal and rest his body.

“When I wake up and my knee doesn’t hurt, you know what I mean,” Long said. “I feel the strength back. You can see it. You can feel it. My body feels good the way I’m moving, working out and how good I feel moving on it.

“It’s as easy as that.”

The Bears brought Long in for a tryout a few weeks ago, but they elected to go in a different direction in terms of offensive line help.

There are few teams checking on available offensive tackles including the Giants, 49ers and Seahawks, so they could be teams to watch for Long in the coming weeks.

Long, 31, is a former No. 1 overall pick by the Dolphins back in 2008. He spent five years in Miami before signing on with the Rams as an unrestricted free agent during the 2013 offseason.

Long has unfortunately dealt with multiple ACL tears over the past few years, which led to him signing a one-year deal with the Falcons last year as a reserve lineman.

In 2015, Long was limited to appearing in just four games for the Falcons, playing nine total snaps.

We have him featured in our Best Available Free Agents list.