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Arguably the top tackle available on the free agent market, Long offers immense upside if he can get healthy again (which it looks like he is) and be among the best offensive linemen in the NFL. The Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, and Philadelphia Eagles are three other tackle-needy teams with interest in Long (the Chicago Tribune confirmed the Bears interest in Long today). The Miami Dolphins also want to keep Long, but it will be interesting to see if they can afford him, as their plan is to add offensive playmakers like Mike Wallace.

Long’s play has slipped recently, but he looks healthier and should still be one of the league’s best tackles. A bidding war could give Long a risky contract, but the reward is well worth the risk for teams that really need help at the tackle position.

The Rams tackle situation needs some clarity, whilst the Bears have had one of the worst tackle pairings in the league for quite some time. Jay Cutler will likely get his wish and some added protection very soon, because the Bears are hot in pursuit of tackles like Jermon Bushrod and Phil Loadholt as well.

The Eagles are looking great at left tackle with Jason Peters set to return from his injury, but their situation at the right tackle position is problematic at best. If the Colts decide to sign Long, then Bremer believes he will stay at LT and Anthony Castonzo will have to make way and move to the right side.

As usual, Jeff Ireland is stubborn on his asking price, and I highly doubt Long stays with the Dolphins. Although they are wise to not want to pay too much for him, there will be a bidding war and only teams extremely serious about an upgrade at tackle- like the Bears- will be able to sign Long.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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Unlike Jake Long, Starks is not a declining player. Unlike Sean Smith, Starks has proven to be a consistent force on defense and has more leadership value than Smith. While the Dolphins can still re-sign the former two players (Smith is more likely), Starks would be harder to keep on the free agent market. Losing Starks would also hurt the overall effectiveness of the defensive line, and he is the impending Dolphins free agent with the least question marks and the most ability at this juncture.

Wide receiver Brian Hartline and running back Reggie Bush are two key free agents on the offensive side of the ball, and I expect the former to be back but not the latter. While Bush has repeatedly stated his desire to stay in Miami, the ‘Fins interest doesn’t seem to be mutual due to their love for rising young back Lamar Miller. Bush is their only established playmaker on offense, though, and this is on a team whose owner admitted is bereft of playmaking talent on both sides of the ball. Hartline isn’t a playmaker, but he is the team’s best receiver and has plenty of talent and interest from the Dolphins. Although the team wants to go after a true No. 1 wide receiver like Greg Jennings or Mike Wallace, they would be wise to keep Hartline and give Ryan Tannehill as much talent as possible.

Starks is the most logical choice for the franchise tag as one of the league’s finest defensive lineman, and he will get $8.45 million. Per La Canfora, the Dolphins are much more interested in giving long-term pacts to Long and Smith. The team feels the same way about Starks, but they realize it will be difficult to re-sign him, and they don’t want to run the risk of him hitting the market. If they cannot pull a deal before the deadline, then the Dolphins will be slapping the tag.

Armando Salguerro reported and reiterated that the Dolphins would not tag Sean Smith, and it really comes down to either Starks or Smith for the tag. Starks is the better candidate, so this report comes as no surprise.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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The other players noted in the tweet from Schefter are obvious inclusions in Dashon Goldson of the San Francisco 49ers, Dustin Keller of the New York Jets, Shane Lechler, and the Miami Dolphins Jake Long. None of those guys are worth the franchise tag, and there are various reasons why. The 49ers are not expected to use the tag this offseason, the Dolphins are much more likely to tag Randy Starks (even CB Sean Smith is a more plausible option than the declining LT), the Jets don’t have enough cap space to use the tag, and below I will get into the Patriots reasons.

Wes Welker is definitely a big priority for the Pats this offseason, especially since it sounds like Brandon Lloyd‘s future is far from a guarantee with reports even stating that he isn’t even in the team’s future plans. The Pats are likely entertaining the thought of adding a true No. 1 wide receiver who can stretch the field and make plays, rather than another possession guy (like Lloyd).

Now Lloyd’s uncertainty helped Welker’s value, but the big reasons why the Patriots won’t be tagging him are financial. The Pats simply aren’t going to tag Welker for a second straight season, because that would mean more than $11 million for this season.

But the main reason why Welker won’t be tagged has to do with the progress the Patriots have made in long-term contract discussions with the league’s premier slot receiver. Tom Brady‘s restructured contract opened the door for negotiations between Welker and the team that would bear more fruit, because Brady’s deal clears up $15 million in cap room over the next two seasons. Multiple reports have surfaced over the past week that Welker and the Patriots are making significant progress towards getting a deal done (for a rumored three years), and thus it would be almost crazy to tag him.

I highly doubt anybody will be getting the franchise tag this year from the New England Patriots, but Greg Bedard did write recently that we should not overlook the chances of Sebastian Vollmer receiving the transition tag.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.