Falcons Sign Jake Long

TUESDAY, 1:34pm: Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed today that the Falcons have signed Long, and Charles Godfrey is being cut to clear room on the roster, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

MONDAY, 7:58pm: Matt Ryan and the Falcons have had an impressive showing so far against the Eagles tonight, and the team may soon add another former first overall pick to its roster. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Atlanta is expected to sign offensive tackle Jake Long later this week.

Long, 30, saw time in just seven games for the Rams last season due to a torn ACL. The former No. 1 overall pick had been in St. Louis for the past two years after spending the first five years of his career with the Dolphins, but tore his ACL in each of those two seasons, playing in just 22 games during that stretch.

However, Long received the go-ahead for Dr. James Andrews, who medically cleared him last week, and the veteran offensive lineman paid a second visit to Atlanta upon being cleared. The Giants also had kicked the tires on Long, but it appeared there was more mutual interest between him and the Falcons.

Last season, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Long as just the No. 36 tackle out of 84 qualified players. In 2013, however, Long graded out as the seventh-best tackle in the league with a strong 22.5 overall score, based on PFF’s advanced metrics. Those numbers suggest that Long could still be a productive player if he’s back to full health.