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New York Giants: Could Jake Long be an option?

By Ryan Disdier

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The New York Giants could look to a former number-one overall pick to solve their offensive line woes.

Jake Long, 30, signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the St. Louis Rams last offseason, but was released in March. Despite being jettisoned, Long still has some football left in the tank.

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The Giants, of course, suffered a major blow when starting left tackle Will Beatty tore his pectoral muscle lifting weights.

While not the best tackle in the league, Beatty was reliable and mostly consistent for the Giants. His absence creates a huge void on a unit that was thought to be taken care of. Rookie Ereck Flowers may have to shift over to play left tackle, and there are a lot of question marks surrounding the O-line.

Although Long hasn’t played a full 16 games since 2010, he would provide the Giants with an immediate upgrade.

The 6-7 Long is the same age as Beatty, but he’s a bigger, nastier player. Long is obviously not the player he was when he entered the league, but he’s still a player who can help a team up front.

Long looked good in his seven games last year. He wasn’t pancaking rushers, but he did a good job of sealing the edge and keeping his quarterback safe. His big frame helps him in the run game, though he would have to learn the Giants west-coast offense, which is very different from the zone-blocking scheme in St. Louis.

If the Giants were to sign Long, it’s difficult to predict where they would place him. Left tackle is probably the most likely option, but he is recovering from a torn ACL, so it’s possible the team feels more comfortable moving Justin Pugh to tackle. Pugh played left tackle in college, and while he lacks Long’s frame, he’s a technician.

It’s possible the Giants — who still have some money left to spend, and could create more space if necessary — could sign Long to a low-risk, one-year deal. The team expects Flowers to ultimately become the anchor on the left side, so it would be rather nonsensical to sign a player like Long to a long deal (no pun intended).

Long would also bring added leadership to a unit that features three players — Pugh, Flowers and Weston Richburg — under the age of 25. With Long, the Giants offensive line would be seemingly fixed. Long, Pugh, Flowers, Richburg and Geoff Schwartz would be a solid unit, and a unit that would get even deeper when Beatty returned.

Signing Long obviously wouldn’t solve everything, but it would give the Giants a lot more depth. In theory, New York could start Long, and the team wouldn’t have to rush Beatty back from an injury. Adding Long would be similar to when the team signed linebacker Keith Bulluck prior to the 2010 season.

Bulluck wasn’t spectacular, but he filled a need for the team and was serviceable.

Keep an eye on Long as the preseason draws closer. If the Giants want to make it back to the playoffs, they need to fix their offensive line.

Next: New York Giants: Impact of Will Beatty's injury

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