Vikings sign Jake Long with Andre Smith headed to IR
— -- EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings?signed former No. 1 overall pick Jake Long on Tuesday, as another starter on the team's offensive line is headed to injured reserve this week.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday that right tackle Andre Smith will have surgery on his injured triceps, and will be placed on injured reserve. Long, an offensive tackle, worked out for the Vikings on Monday. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins when current Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano was the Dolphins' head coach.
Smith, who signed a one-year deal with the Vikings this spring, was injured last Monday against the New York Giants and was replaced by Jeremiah Sirles. He will be the second tackle the Vikings have placed on injured reserve this season, following Matt Kalil, and the fourth offensive starter lost to IR (including running back Adrian Peterson and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater).
Long, a four-time Pro Bowl lineman, underwent ACL surgeries in his right knee in both 2013 and 2014 while with the then-St. Louis Rams. The 31-year-old played just 11 snaps for the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
Long told ESPN in June he was "finally healthy ... the best I've felt in five or six years." His pronouncement was endorsed to teams by Dr. James Andrews, who has performed Long's surgeries and overseen the player's recovery.
The? Baltimore Ravens?were on the verge of signing him in July, but the deal fell apart when Long declined to sign a waiver on his right knee.
Sources say Long is willing to play for around the veteran minimum wage of $885,000, which would be prorated with 11 games remaining in the regular season. The Vikings have only an estimated $1.8 million of salary-cap space available.
It appears the Vikings will also continue to be without guard/tackle Mike Harris, who started all 16 games at right guard last year but was placed on the non-football illness list this summer. After initially saying the issue was related to his head, Harris has said little about his condition, other than that he looked forward to returning when doctors cleared him, but Zimmer said on Monday it didn't look like the Vikings would get Harris back in 2016.
After left guard Alex Boone missed time with a hip injury and right guard Brandon Fusco left with a concussion on Sunday, center Joe Berger is the only Vikings starting lineman not to miss time this season.
NFL Insiders? Chris Mortensen and ?Ed Werder contributed to this report.
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