Baltimore Ravens to sign veteran OT Jake Long

With the arrival of Ronnie Stanley, and the departure of Eugene Monroe, the Baltimore Ravens had quite the need for a veteran offensive tackle to help coach, mentor and be a part of the Ravens offensive line. Today they have found that product.

Offensive Tackle Jake Long has signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Ravens and former No. 1 overall pick Jake Long reached agreement on a 1-year deal, per sources. Long flying to Baltimore tonight to sign.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 26, 2016

As Schefter reported, Jake Long is a former No. 1 overall selection from the University of Michigan.

Long was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2008, and during his four-year tenure with Miami was awarded four Pro Bowls, and became a two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second team).

Jake Long has been a very consistent player in the NFL, with 100 games played, and 96 games starting. He never once missed a game with the Miami Dolphins from 2008-2012.

Jake Long signed a two-year contract with the St. Louis Rams, but it did not pan out well for them as the injury bug struck with back-to-back ACL tears. Following that season, the Atlanta Falcons signed him to a one-year contract.

Reading thefalcoholic.com's season review report, it's not pretty.

"Long stayed healthy, but never got close to playing meaningful snaps. In fact, even Bryce Harris played more snaps than Long. With Matthews battling back from his injury-riddled rookie season, and Schraeder improving on his surprising sophomore season, there was no need for Long to step on the field. Long stayed healthy, and pitched in during the first game against the Carolina Panthers." -Matthew Chambers

High-risk high-reward signing in my opinion. Jake is a better option over James Hurst, but is he good enough to help the team at the left tackle position? I had my hopes he could start at left tackle, and help Stanley grow into NFL speed by pushing him to left guard. Hopefully Harbaugh comments on it tomorrow at training camp.