David Long Jr. was a third-round pick in 2019 but he hasn’t been called upon to play a significant role on defense yet. That will change this season with the Rams searching for a No. 3 cornerback to take the place of Troy Hill, who signed with the Browns in free agency.
Long has been getting first-team reps in practice and remained on the sideline with the rest of the starters during Saturday’s preseason opener, a sign that he’s in line to play a big part on defense this year. However, there’s still room for improvement with the third-year cornerback out of Michigan.
Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said this week that Long made some mistakes that needed to be corrected during red zone drills, which he did a nice job of fixing.
“David Long is doing well. Unfortunately, in practice he was one of the guys who we had to correct some things in the red zone – that high red versus Dallas,” Morris told reporters. “And then Sean, he doesn’t forget anything. So, he came out ran the exact same plan, the next red zone fringe period and David played it. So he always talks about we’re going to make mistakes, but don’t make the same mistake over and over again.”
Morris said the team as a whole has to clean up some pre-snap mistakes such as jumping offsides on offense and defense, a point of emphasis for McVay. He didn’t specifically say Long has been making those errors, but it’s a trouble spot ahead of the regular season.
Otherwise, Morris has been thrilled with the job Long has done and the improvement he’s shown.
“So, just to watch those guys improve and David Long being one of them, I’ve really been ecstatic with ‘D-Lo’ since I’ve been here,” he added. “It’s unique to come here and be able to see a guy, embrace everything you’re teaching, and his coaches, and go through with (Ejiro Evero) and (assistant secondary coach Jonathan) Cooley and all those guys, and now Lance. I’m just fired to watch him play and go out there and get an opportunity.”
The Rams are already in good hands with Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams on the outside at cornerback, but having someone like Long step up in the nickel role will be huge because of how often the Rams have five defensive backs on the field.
It could be the difference between having a top-10 pass defense and the best pass defense in the NFL.
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