Problems with the offensive line for the New York Giants (nothing new) might lead them to make a signing very soon, with Jake Long, formerly with the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams, close to getting a deal.
The Giants will miss Will Beatty for at least the first half of the season with an injury, which means they need a left tackle. Beatty has played in all 16 games for three seasons straight, and although he hasn’t been exactly stellar, he has shown improvement over the time as a starter, and it’s a blow to lose him considering how vital the protection is to a slow quarterback like Eli Manning.
Long’s best days are behind him. He was a Pro Bowler during his first four seasons in the league with the Dolphins, even making one All-Pro team, but injuries slowed him down and turned him from a standout offensive lineman to a decent one. The Rams had him for the last couple of seasons, but he played just 7 times in 2014 and was released in March.
He was scheduled to make $9.25 million in 2015. Now he’s just hoping to land a job, regardless of the pay. At 29 and without the best health track record he’s not the most promising of potential signings but considering what’s out there on the market and how desperate the Giants are to fill Beatty’s spot, Long might end up playing for them a few times this season.
Long has met with the Giants and although a meeting doesn’t promise anything, at this point of the preseason, it’s safe to say the Giants aren’t about taking things slow and waiting around for things to fix themselves.