Bill Belichick says Chris Long made a good decision to join Eagles

USA Today photo

Chris Long signed a one-year deal with the Patriots in 2016 in order to win a Super Bowl, which he did.

Long, who was productive for the Patriots, decided not to go back to New England because he wanted an expanded role with another team.

Enter the Philadelphia Eagles, the team the Patriots will face in Super Bowl LII next Sunday. Long has said the Eagles are a better fit for him than New England was, which Bill Belichick piggybacked off of in his Wednesday morning press conference.

WEEI.com:

“I think his defensive role is similar to what it was when he was with the Rams," Belichick said. "Chris has a lot of good skills. His overall skill set and experience is definitely more in the system that he’s in than it was in our system. It’s closer to the system he played in with the Rams. He did a great job for us. Look, there was no better teammate, or guy that tried to embrace the program than Chris, but in the end he probably has a better fit there for his skills and at this point in his career than maybe we had for him. I understand that. He probably made a good decision.

"Not that it wouldn’t have worked out here, I am sure not saying that, or it couldn’t have worked out here. I don’t know. It certainly has worked out for him there, just like it worked out well for him here last year. That is one of the benefits of free agency. It gives players opportunities, and teams, to find the right guy for the right situation. Get guys on your roster that you need, or if a team has an excess of players at a certain position it gives those players an opportunity to go somewhere where there’s a better opportunity.”

With the Patriots in 2016, Long had 35 total tackles, four sacks and one forced fumble. With the Eagles this year, Long has been a bit more productive. He's forced four fumbles, had five sacks and 28 tackles.

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