# David Long Jr. (linebacker)

David Lamont Long Jr. (born October 12, 1996) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football at West Virginia.

## Early life

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 selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.

## College career

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.
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.
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. 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, after leading the Big 12 in tackles for a loss. 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. Long earned 2018 College Football All-America Team second-team recognition by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, and the Associated Press. On December 30, 2018, Long announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL draft.

## Professional career

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 ||||||||||||

### Tennessee Titans (first stint)

Long was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round (188th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft. 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. He finished his rookie season with 15 tackles as a backup linebacker and special teamer.
Long played 14 games during the 2020 season, making five starts at the end of the season, recording 54 tackles and a forced fumble. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 16, 2020, and activated on November 28.
Long entered the 2021 season as the starting linebacker for the Titans, playing only 10 games due to injuries. He recorded 75 tackles and two interceptions.
Long continued the 2022 season as a starter for the Titans. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 13 and was placed on injured reserve on December 10, 2022. He finished the season with 86 tackles and two interceptions.

### Miami Dolphins

On March 17, 2023, Long signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Miami Dolphins. He started all 17 games for the Dolphins in the 2023 season, recording a career-high and team-leading 113 tackles.
Long returned as a starter for six games in the 2024 season, but lost his starting job in Week 8, only playing on special teams for two more games before being released on November 13, 2024. He made 38 tackles during his season with the Dolphins.

### Detroit Lions

On November 18, 2024, Long signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 27. Long played five games with the Lions during the 2024 season, making seven tackles and a fumble recovery. He was released on December 24.

### Tennessee Titans (second stint)

On December 25, 2024, Long was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans, set to return to the team that originally drafted him. However, he was waived the next day after a failed physical.

### NFL statistics

Regular season statistics :
| Year | Team | Games | Games | Tackling | Tackling | Tackling | Tackling | Tackling | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions |
| Year | Team | 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 | 8 | 6 | 38 | 26 | 12 | 0.0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024 | DET | 5 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Career | 80 | 50 | 388 | 230 | 158 | 1.0 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
Postseason statistics :
| Year | Team | Games | Games | Tackling | Tackling | Tackling | Tackling | Tackling | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles | Fumbles | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions |
| Year | Team | 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 | Career | 5 | 3 | 26 | 20 | 6 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Personal life

Long is the son of David and Deon Long. He is one of 12 children. 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.