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David Long Jr. (linebacker)

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For the New York Giants cornerback, see David Long (defensive back).

David Long Jr.
refer to caption
Long with the Tennessee Titans in 2021
No. 43 – Detroit Lions
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1996-10-12) October 12, 1996 (age 28)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Winton Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio)
College:West Virginia (2015–2018)
NFL draft:2019 / round: 6 / pick: 188
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2024
Total tackles:384
Sacks:1.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:15
Interceptions:4
Stats at Pro Football Reference

David Lamont Long Jr. (born October 12, 1996)[1] is an American professional football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia.

Early life

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When Long was seven years old, he was on the back of a bike being pedaled by his older brother when he was hit by a car driven by someone who was not paying attention. He was treated at the hospital with head and arm injuries. He attended Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati and finished his career with 283 career tackles, six sacks, and six interceptions. Long was a high school teammate of safety Mike Edwards, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.

College career

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Long at 2018 Big 12 Media Days

Long redshirted in 2015 and made his collegiate debut as a redshirt freshman for the 2016 team in the season-opener against Missouri on September 3 with four tackles as a reserve.[2]

Long missed the first month of the season due to a summer knee injury. As a redshirt sophomore for the 2017 Mountaineers, his best statistics were his 18-tackle (including a school record 7 for a loss (meaning the offense lost yardage as a result of his tackle)) effort against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 28 and his 2.5-quarterback sack performance in the December 26, 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl against the Utah Utes.[3][4]

Among his best games as a redshirt junior for the 2018 team were his 15-tackle (3 for a loss) effort against Texas Tech on September 29 and his 3-sack performance on November 10 against TCU.[5][6] That season, he was named as a 2018 first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection and as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year,[7][8] after leading the Big 12 in tackles for a loss.[9] Long is the second Mountaineer to be named a conference defensive MVP (Canute Curtis, 1996 Big East), and first since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12.[10] Long earned 2018 College Football All-America Team second-team recognition by the Walter Camp Football Foundation,[11] and the Associated Press.[12] On December 30, 2018, Long announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL draft.[13]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11+1⁄4 in
(1.81 m) 		227 lb
(103 kg) 		30+3⁄4 in
(0.78 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.81 s 1.65 s 2.78 s 4.27 s 6.88 s 31.0 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)		 18 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[14]

Tennessee Titans

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Long was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round (188th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.[15] During Week 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Long forced a fumble off running back Damien Williams which was recovered by teammate Rashaan Evans for a 53-yard touchdown in the 35–32 win.[16]

Long was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 16, 2020,[17] and activated on November 28.[18]

Long in 2021

Long entered the 2022 season as the starting linebacker for the Titans. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 13 and was placed on injured reserve on December 10, 2022.[19]

Miami Dolphins

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On March 17, 2023, Long signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.[20] He started all 17 games for the Dolphins in 2023, recording a career-high and team-leading 113 tackles.

Long returned as a starter in 2024, but lost his starting job in Week 8, only playing on special teams for two games before being released on November 13, 2024.[21]

Detroit Lions

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On November 18, 2024, Long signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad.[22] He was promoted to the active roster on November 27.[23]

NFL statistics

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Regular season statistics
Year Team Games Tackling Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sk TFL FF FR Yds TD Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2019 TEN 14 0 15 9 6 0.0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2020 TEN 14 5 54 30 24 0.0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2
2021 TEN 10 9 75 46 29 0.0 4 0 0 0 0 2 6 3.0 6 0 6
2022 TEN 12 12 86 52 34 0.0 7 0 0 0 0 2 4 2.0 4 0 5
2023 MIA 17 17 113 64 49 1.0 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2024 MIA 2 2 19 16 3 0.0 2 — — — — — — — — — —
Career 69 45 362 217 145 1.0 26 3 0 0 0 4 10 2.5 6 0 15
Postseason statistics
Year Team Games Tackling Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Comb Total Ast Sk TFL FF FR Yds TD Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2019 TEN 3 1 13 10 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2020 TEN 1 1 5 4 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2021 TEN 1 1 8 6 2 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Career 5 3 26 20 6 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

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Long is the son of David and Deon Long. He is one of 12 children.[24] David’s father, David Sr., is a former professional boxer who went 12-5-2 as a heavyweight. He once fought future world champ Deontay Wilder.

References

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  1. ^ "David Long Jr. Stats, News, Bio". ESPN.[dead link‍]
  2. ^ Manning, Sean (August 31, 2018). "David Long hungry for first start in season opener". West Virginia MetroNews. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  3. ^ "LB David Long goes on tackling tear for West Virginia". USA Today. Associated Press. November 2, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  4. ^ Casazza, Mike (December 26, 2017). "FINAL: Utah 30, WVU 14". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 7, 2018.[dead link‍]
  5. ^ Hunter, Greg (October 4, 2018). "Hard to get mad at Long for missed tackle". The Morgantown News. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "West Virginia vs. TCU Live updates Score, results, highlights, for Saturday's NCAAF game". CBS Sports. November 10, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  7. ^ "2018 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced" (PDF). Big12Sports.com. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  8. ^ "Big 12 coaches vote Sooners QB Kyler Murray top offensive player". ESPN. Associated Press. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  9. ^ "2018 Big 12 Conference: Individual Statistics Through games of Nov 28, 2018" (PDF). Big12Sports.com. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  10. ^ Hickey, Alex (November 28, 2018). "West Virginia LB David Long named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year". Metro News. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  11. ^ Carbone, Al (December 6, 2018). "Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2018 All-America First and Second Teams". Walter Camp Football Foundation. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  12. ^ Russo, Ralph D. (December 10, 2018). "AP All-America team: Tide leads with 4 of 10 CFP players". Associated Press. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  13. ^ Trotter, Jake (December 30, 2018). "Mountaineers LB David Long entering NFL draft". ESPN. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  14. ^ "David Long Jr., West Virginia, ILB, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  15. ^ Wyatt, Jim (April 27, 2019). "West Virginia LB David Long Picked By Titans in Sixth Round, and He's Ready to Learn From Mike Vrabel". Tennessee Titans. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  16. ^ "Titans rally, spoil Mahomes' return beating Chiefs 35-32". ESPN. November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  17. ^ Wyatt, Jim (November 16, 2020). "Titans Move RB Darrynton Evans to 'Designated for Return' List, Place LB David Long on Reserve/COVID-19 List". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  18. ^ Wyatt, Jim (November 28, 2020). "Titans Activate Punter Brett Kern from Injured Reserve, While Also Activating LB David Long from Reserve/COVID-19 List". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  19. ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 10, 2022). "Titans Make a Flurry of Roster Moves Ahead of Sunday's Game vs the Jaguars". TennesseeTitans.com.
  20. ^ "Miami Dolphins Sign David Long Jr. and Eric Saubert". MiamiDolphins.com. March 17, 2023.
  21. ^ "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. November 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "Long Finds Another Team". Miami Dolphins On SI. November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  23. ^ "Detroit Lions sign 2 practice squad players to 53-man roster, elevate an OT". Pride of Detroit. November 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "David Long Jr. - Football". West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
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