1:38PM Thursday
March 7, 2013

If there are concerns about Dolphins left tackle Jake Long and his value in the free agent market, they shouldn't be health-driven, according to his doctor.

Long got a "clean bill of health" from Dr. James Andrews this week, as the celebrity doc told Yahoo's Jason Cole that Long should be ready to go soon after surgery to repair a torn triceps. Andrews said he'd give him another month to let the triceps heal, but if he had to play now, he could.

"I just saw him [Wednesday] and he looked great," Andrews said. "I asked him about his knee and he said it's the best he has felt in years. Like I said, this is the kind of kid you want. I'm not worried about him at all."

Others have their concerns.

As Florio pointed out recently, there hasn't been much buzz about Long as a potential free agent, and the Dolphins used their franchise tag on defensive tackle Randy Starks instead.

But the former No. 1 overall pick has proven to be a quality starter when well (which he clearly wasn't last year), and if the Dolphins don't make a move to retain him, they're going to have to invest heavily in replacing him - which is as important for their young quarterback as the splashy wide receiver signing everyone assumes they're going to make.