David Long Jr. isn’t a lock to start
When the team declined Nickell Robey-Coleman’s option for 2020, it seemed logical that David Long Jr. would step up as the No. 3 cornerback – whether that meant he’d play outside with Troy Hill in the slot, or vice versa. That isn’t necessarily true now that Terrell Burgess is in the mix.
Burgess is a safety by name, but he also plays in the slot a lot. After he was selected, McVay mentioned his ability to play nickel corner, calling it “an ideal situation.
“I think when you look at some of these versatile safeties, you think even just in our division, you look at what Jimmie Ward is able to do for the 49ers where he has great range playing in the post, but then in some of those known-passing situations there’s a confidence to drop him down and cover on slots,” McVay said.
Burgess could win the slot cornerback job out of the gate, and at the very least, he’ll get on the field in “big nickel” and dime packages. That will force Long to step up and win the job when the Rams use their base nickel packages.