Chris Long made it clear from the beginning that he didn’t want to return for a 12th season NFL season in a reduced for the Eagles and on Saturday night, he walked away from the game he loves. Long had spent the offseason approaching the situation as a guy with one foot out the door and on Saturday, the talented defensive end shut it completely.
The Eagles, who are completing Phase 1 of the offseason workout programs, restocked the roster with the thinking that business will go on with or without Long. Brandon Graham was brought back on a new deal, Derek Barnett will be returning from injury, Vinny Curry returned to the fold and Malik Jackson was the huge free agent signing who’ll steal some of Long’s snaps on third down and passing situations.
The Eagles will rotate 4 players at the position and they could choose from a group that includes Josh Sweat, Shareef Miller, Daeshon Hall, and Joe Ostman, or they could bring in another free agent from off the street. Long’s biggest impact will likely be missed in the locker room, where he played a role in team harmony and helped galvanize the Eagles Super Bowl run with his underdog mask.
Long still had a presence as a pass rusher and in 2018, he ranked sixth among edge rushers in QB hits in 2018, while ranking 35th in pressure rate according to Pro Football Focus.
Long recorded 333 total tackles in his career and was also named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year this past season for his charitable endeavors
