The Dolphins lost left tackle Jake Long in the first quarter of Sunday’s game and they fear they won’t have him back again this year.
That’s the word from both Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald and Jeff Darlington of NFL.com from Miami after the game. Long left with what was called a left triceps injury during the contest and the Dolphins are afraid he’s torn it. He’ll have an MRI on Monday, but Salguero reports that two players and a team official told him that was the working diagnosis. Darlington’s source says that “it doesn’t look good.”
If so, it could have been Long’s final game as a Dolphin. Rookie Jonathan Martin replaced Long on Sunday and would likely remain there if the worst fears are realized. That would give the Dolphins an extended evaluation of Martin’s fitness for the job, something that will come in handy with Long set to become a free agent after the season.
Long’s play hasn’t been met with many positive reviews this year, so a good showing from Martin could lead the Dolphins to go with the cheaper and younger option at left tackle.