Jake Long Released by Rams: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The St. Louis Rams released offensive tackle Jake Long on Monday, ending a failed two-year experiment that saw the former Pro Bowler end each season on injured reserve.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported the news and the Rams official website later confirmed the transaction. 

Long, 29, was scheduled to count $10.5 million against the Rams' 2015 salary cap. Releasing him frees $8 million overall to St. Louis after factoring in dead money remaining from his signing bonus.

Signed to a four-year, $34 million deal before the 2013 season, Long appeared in only 22 games as a Ram. He suffered a torn left ACL in Week 16 of his first campaign in St. Louis and then went down with the same injury seven games into 2014. Expected to shore up the left tackle spot when he signed, Long's tenure instead became a massive disappointment.

The writing was on the wall for Long's release when 2014 No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson moved to left tackle late last season. 

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"We're going to wait and see for Jake and see how he's feeling," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said of Long's possible return in January, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. "He's been in the building the last couple of days. All indications are that he wants to come back. Yeah, as we stand right now, Greg's going to be our left tackle."

Cutting Long does not necessarily forbid a potential reunion. The Rams and Long could agree on a new, incentive-based contract once he hits free agency. St. Louis still needs help at guard and at right tackle, two spots Long has little experience playing.

He wouldn't have much trouble acclimating to those positions, though. A move to right tackle might be the ideal move for Long over the long term regardless of where he lands considering his age and concerns about his mobility.

In 2013, Pro Football Focus ranked Long 27th among qualifying tackles in its pass-blocking efficiency metric. Before suffering his second ACL tear last season, Long dropped to 43rd among 58 qualifying players. Perhaps a move to the less grueling side would help keep him healthy while hiding his increasing weakness against the pass.

Long remains a stellar run-blocker, and it's obviously unfair to grade a player on his performance coming back from a major surgery. That's also what made it inevitable that the Rams would move on from the former Michigan Wolverine. With a $9.25 million base salary, Long was being paid a premium left tackle salary.

The hope here for his next team is that he'll merely return to being an above-average NFL tackle—whether it be on the left or the right side.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.