Jake Long a Ram

Word late Sunday night is that tackle Jake Long has signed a four-year deal with the Rams. Pro Football Talk reports the deal is in the $34-$36 million range, depending on what incentives Long reaches. Long and the Rams had negotiated for three days here in St. Louis, after which Long returned to Miami, briefly putting everything up in the air, but it sounds like the Rams won out.

ESPN and Scouts Inc.'s Free Agent Tracker ranked Jake Long the #1 player available in free agency at any position, so this is a major win for the Rams, who, honestly, could use one here this offseason. Their scouting report on Long:

Long has been a consistent performer but missed the latter part of 2011 with a biceps injury and was put on IR again with a triceps injury in 2012. He has excellent size and strength with above-average athleticism for the left tackle position. He wins at the point of attack with great technique, power and tenacity. He is a better run-blocker than pass protector but is efficient at both most of the time. He's been the anchor of the Dolphins' offensive line, providing leadership and attitude.

The Rams gave Long a physical the first day he was in St. Louis and, as GM Les Snead put it, "Health is not a problem." So I'll trust the Rams' findings that Long doesn't have some kind of chronic arm issues.

A healthy Long should give the Rams an instant jolt on the offensive line. At his peak, Long's a tackle who'll only yield 3 or 4 sacks all season. In fact, a healthy Long is a Pro Bowler, which he was his first four seasons in the league before the arm problems of the last couple of years.

I seriously doubt the Rams have cap room for Long at the moment, so we should be hearing of some contract re-structuring shortly. James Laurinaitis is supposed to be the likeliest candidate.

Long, who gives the Rams the first two picks of the 2008 draft (#2, Chris Long), will take over the left tackle position and move Rodger Saffold to right tackle. That's bad timing for Rodger, who's a free agent after 2013, since left tackles get paid a lot better than right tackles. There has been some noise from the Saffold camp, almost positively his agent, that Rodger's going to want a trade instead of moving to RT, but Jeff Fisher has already said that he's talked to Rodger and Rodger's on board.

If that line jells, which Paul Boudreaux should facilitate, and everyone stays healthy (fingers crossed), we're talking a Pro Bowl LT, a Pro Bowl center, a right guard who's Pro Bowl quality, a RT who's a better fit there than at LT and who has a pretty good chance to be the best Rams RT since the Greatest Show on Earth, and possibly one of the top two guards in this year's draft to line up next to Long. With a line that good, the Rams may not need running backs.

Combine all that with what the Rams have returning on the defensive line, and then put it in the football text on how to build a team from the lines out. If everything works out, the Rams can still improve in 2013 even with their other significant player losses, because they're going to win the line of scrimmage more weeks than they're going to lose it.

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