Tag: Hunter Long

McVay still unsure when Derion Kendrick, Hunter Long and Davis Allen will return from injury

Sean McVay still doesn’t know when Derion Kendrick, Hunter Long and Davis Allen will return, but he wants them back “as quickly as possible”

Every team in the NFL is hoping to avoid serious injuries during training camp and for the most part, the Los Angeles Rams did just that. Sure, Cooper Kupp has been sidelined by a hamstring injury, but it’s nothing that will affect his Week 1 status.

Elsewhere on the injury front, the Rams have been missing three young players who are competing for snaps: Derion Kendrick, Hunter Long and Davis Allen. All three have been sidelined for more than a week with soft-tissue injuries, causing them to miss the Rams’ padded practices in camp.

Sean McVay was asked about their statuses on Tuesday and he didn’t have much of an update, other than to say they’re day-to-day.

He expressed a heightened level of urgency with all three, hoping they can return as quickly as possible because they’re missing valuable practice time.

“Those guys are really day-to-day. I wish I had a better answer for you. We’re truly taking it a day at a time,” McVay said. “With those soft tissues, it’s more about once Reggie (Scott) and Justin Lovett and (John Griffin) and Zach Witherspoon and those guys can test them out where they can really open up in some of those controlled settings, you get a feel for when they’re hitting some of those high-speed yards. All right, are they ready to return back to performance? Because it’s one thing to return to play. It’s another thing to return to performance. But we need to get those guys back out here as quickly as possible because we can’t afford to waste this time. But we’re also not gonna get caught up in things we can’t control. I’m hopeful those guys will be out here sooner than later.”

Of the three, Kendrick is expected to have the most significant role this season. He’s competing to be a starting cornerback but since he’s been sidelined, Ahkello Witherspoon has risen up the depth chart with some impressive play in practice. Robert Rochell could also jump Kendrick if he plays well in the preseason.

It doesn’t sound like Kendrick, Long or Allen will be ready to play in the preseason opener on Saturday but there’s still a chance they’ll heal quickly enough this week to play a few snaps against the Chargers.

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7 takeaways from Rams’ 3rd day of training camp

Here are 7 takeaways from the Rams’ 3rd day of training camp practices on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Rams held an open practice session for fans on Saturday for the third day of training camp. Position battles continue to take place, and some players are catching the eye of fans and the coaching staff in hopes to secure a role on the roster.

There were a handful of storylines that took place on the third day of training camp, including the sudden retirement of Sony Michel and the passing game being the star of the show. With the Rams looking to improve each day, here are seven takeaways from the team’s third practice session.

‘UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton’: G-Day special with former Georgia Bulldogs Hunter Long, Keith Marshall

Get ready for G-Day! Watch, or listen here…

J.C. is joined by former Georgia teammates Hunter Long and Keith Marshall ahead of Georgia’s annual spring game! 

Your friends at UGA Football Live and UGA Wire present your one-stop-shop podcast for all things Georgia football: “UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton.”

Streaming on Youtube as a part of The Pulse Sports Network or, listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Stats, analysis and interviews with some Georgia greats. We are here every week throughout the offseason to keep you up to speed on Georgia football.

In a ‘G-Day’ special, former Georgia offensive lineman Hunter Long and former Bulldog running back Keith Marshall join J.C. to talk all things UGA football ahead of Saturday’s kickoff.

Watch here, on YouTube

You can also listen here, on Spotify:

Or here, on Apple Podcasts

You can catch Marshall, along with multiple other Georgia lettermen, this Saturday in Athens at Creature Comforts at a G-Day tailgate event held by The Players’ Lounge. Click here for sign-up information.

Hunter Long excited to join Rams after ‘tricky situation’ with Dolphins

Hunter Long is excited about his opportunity with the Rams after being buried on the depth chart as a blocking TE in Miami

Hunter Long has mostly been a forgotten part of the Jalen Ramsey trade. In addition to a third-round pick, the Los Angeles Rams got the young tight end in return for Ramsey.

But for a player with just one career catch, it’s been hard for fans to get excited about his arrival in Los Angeles. The problem is, Long was buried on the depth chart in Miami and relegated to a role as a blocking tight end.

It’s not that he was an undrafted free agent or late-round pick. Long was drafted in the third round two years ago, the third tight end selected in the class. He’s now joining a Rams team that he hopes will give him the opportunity to catch more passes and contribute as a receiver, which should be L.A.’s plan – even with Tyler Higbee still on the roster.

Long spoke to Stu Jackson of the Rams about joining Sean McVay’s squad and he’s excited about the fresh start.

“Definitely, it was a surprise for me, but I’m really excited for it,” Long said.. “Really excited to join the Rams, really excited to get out there and start working with the coaching staff. Coach (Nick) Caley’s a great tight end coach they just brought in, so I’m really excited to start working with him. But yeah, just excited for the opportunity. It’s a great opportunity for me and excited to take advantage of it.”

At Boston College, Long caught 28 passes for 509 yards in 2019 and another 57 passes for 685 yards in 2020 before entering the NFL draft. He’s more than capable of catching passes, the Dolphins just didn’t give him many chances to showcase that part of his game.

“I came into kind of a tricky situation. I came into a tight end room that already had five tight ends, and three established tight ends,” Long said. “As a rookie, my role was with a rookie role and kind of plugged in where I could and do I what could. This last year, I definitely carved out a bigger role for myself. Unfortunately, dealt with some injuries early on, and kind of picked up steam later in the season when I was able to get over those injuries. I was definitely in more of a blocking role this year, but that was not because I can’t run routes and catch the ball, you know? I’m as team-guy as they come, and whatever the team needs to do to win games and help the team be successful, I’m gonna do and do to the best of my ability. So that’s all I was asked to do, and I tried to excel at that, but that’s obviously not my whole game.”

Long said the Rams understand he’s not just a blocker, which he says “was obviously good to hear.” He doesn’t fully know what his role will be yet, but it’s hard to imagine him not getting more opportunities than he did with the Dolphins.

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Winners and losers of the Jalen Ramsey trade for the Rams

Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant stand to benefit the most from the Jalen Ramsey trade, but it doesn’t help Tyler Higbee or Brycen Hopkins

At the start of the new league year on Wednesday, Jalen Ramsey will officially become a member of the Miami Dolphins. The Los Angeles Rams agreed to trade him to Miami on Sunday, parting ways with the star cornerback after three-plus seasons.

The Rams didn’t get much in return – only a third-rounder and TE Hunter Long – but this was about shedding money and freeing up space in both 2023 and 2024.

As is the case with every trade, there are winners and losers – players and teams that will benefit or suffer from this move.

How the Jalen Ramsey trade impacts the Rams’ draft plans this year

Jalen Ramsey is on his way out, landing the Rams a 3rd-round pick and additional tight end. This move changes their draft plans in 2023.

The Los Angeles Rams are going to look very different in 2023 than they did last season. We’re already getting a taste of that after the team released Leonard Floyd and Bobby Wagner, and then agreed to trade Jalen Ramsey to the Dolphins on Sunday.

All of these moves signal a youth movement coming in Los Angeles, but the Ramsey deal in particular will have a ripple effect at multiple positions. Not only are the Rams now thin at cornerback, but they added a tight end in the process by trading Ramsey.

So how does the Ramsey deal impact the team’s draft plans? Let’s start at cornerback, which is now one of the Rams’ biggest offseason needs – even more so than it was before Ramsey got dealt.

The depth chart currently has Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick and Robert Rochell penciled in as the starters. David Long Jr. and Troy Hill are both pending free agents, and neither Shaun Jolly nor Grant Haley are proven players in the NFL.

Now that Ramsey is gone, cornerback could be the position Los Angeles targets at No. 36 overall. It’s a strong draft class at that position and there will be at least one or two immediate-impact corners available in the second round. Deonte Banks, Kelee Ringo and Emmanuel Forbes could all be potential targets in Round 2.

And now with an extra third-rounder at No. 77 overall, which Miami is giving the Rams in return for Ramsey, Los Angeles could decide to double-dip at cornerback by using two of their first four picks on the position.

Obviously, they still need pass rushers, defensive line help and offensive linemen, but cornerback is way up there on their list of needs now.

The other position impacted by this trade is tight end. The Rams landed Hunter Long in the Ramsey trade, and though he has just one career catch in two seasons, the Rams obviously like him and he’s a former third-round pick.

It’s unlikely that the Rams will feel so comfortable with Long that they’ll cut Tyler Higbee and make him the starter, but there’s no doubt Long changes the outlook a little bit at tight end heading into 2023.

Rather than prioritizing tight end the way some expected the Rams to, they might elect to wait a little bit and give Long a shot to show he can be a long-term solution if Higbee is cut. This is an excellent tight end class, so the Rams should still take at least one in the top 100, but maybe they’ll choose to pass on someone like Luke Musgrave or Darnell Washington if they’re there at No. 36.

Put simply, cornerback becomes a much bigger need for the Rams and tight end might get bumped down a spot or two on their list of priority positions after this trade. They should still draft a player at each spot before the fifth round, but cornerback is a huge hole now.

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6 things to know about Hunter Long, the TE being traded for Jalen Ramsey

Who is Hunter Long, the tight end being traded to the Rams in the Jalen Ramsey deal?

The Los Angeles Rams agreed to trade Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, but what they’re getting in return isn’t as much as many people expected it to be. The Dolphins are sending the 77th overall pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Rams in exchange for the three-time All-Pro cornerback.

We’ll have to wait and see what the Rams will do with their newly acquired third-round pick, but Long is a player who will join the roster immediately when the trade goes through. So who is Long and what sort of value does he bring?

Let’s get to know the Rams’ new tight end.

Hunter Long willing to do whatever Dolphins want to find a role

Miami will likely move on from at least one TE this offseason.

When the Miami Dolphins selected Hunter Long out of Boston College with the 81st overall pick in the 2021 draft, it’s reasonable to speculate that they hoped to have him record more than one reception for eight yards in his first two NFL seasons.

However, with Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe above him on the depth chart and a few injuries, Long hasn’t exactly provided the type of production that one would hope for.

Tight ends coach Jon Embree even went as far as to question his commitment to the game at points in 2022.

Entering 2023, the Gesicki is a free agent, once again, and, this time, it doesn’t feel like a franchise tag or long-term deal is coming. Smythe could also be a cap casualty, as his release would save Miami $3.49 million and incur just $750,000 in dead cap.

With that said, does Long believe he’s earned more snaps and better opportunities going forward?

“I hope I have,” Long told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I took my shots when I got them this year. Regardless of the outcome, I am going to come into next year and attack it and make it the best year of the three I’ve had.

“I’m ready for this offseason. This will be a great offseason and I’ll come back really ready to attack next year.”

In his two seasons, Long has played just 183 offensive snaps and 60 on special teams. He’s not doing much of anything, but he’s ready to help wherever he can.

“I’m a team guy first so I’m going to do whatever they tell me to do and do it to best of my ability,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that. Whatever they give me to do, I’ll give 100 percent. Hopefully next year some stuff opens up.”

Counting on a large jump from Long, at this point, probably wouldn’t be wise, but there’s no reason why he couldn’t be the team’s second option on the depth chart.

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Grading the Dolphins tight ends after their 2022 season

Not the best year from the room.

The Miami Dolphins have completed their 2022 campaign after losing to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round.

While head coach Mike McDaniel, general manager Chris Grier and company are looking forward to the 2023 season, this is a great time for us to reflect on the season hat was for the aqua and orange.

We’ll be going through different positions and reviewing how they played in 2022. After starting with the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, we’ll take a look at the guys lining up next to the tackles and in the slot. These are our grades for the Dolphins’ tight ends.

TE coach wondered if football was important to Hunter Long

The second-year TE hasn’t produced in the receiving game like many hoped.

Coming to the end of his second season with the Miami Dolphins, tight end Hunter Long hasn’t exactly produced the way some believed when he was selected in the third round of the 2021 draft.

Despite being known as a receiving tight end in college, Long has just one catch in his NFL career. Injuries and a lack of a role were some of the reasons that have limited him to just 15 games through two years, but they may not have been the only things keeping him off of the field.

Speaking with the media on Thursday, assistant head coach and tight ends coach Jon Embree discussed Long’s motivation and work ethic.

“Well, it’s been quite a journey with Hunter Long,” Embree said. “We’ve had some interesting times. The thing I’ve learned about him, one, is football is important to him. So that’s good to know with him, because there were times I wondered about that. So football is important to him…”

He was asked to clarify.

“Why did I wonder that about him,” Embree asked. “I just sometimes wondered about preparation, how hard did he prepare. Part of it – it’s not his fault, it’s just getting to know people. That’s really the biggest thing with the first year when you’re coaching new people is just really getting to know what’s important to them, how they work, how they prepare, different things like that, do they have things going on off the field that can be distractions, all that stuff. So it’s been a little process getting to know Hunter and it’s been a lot of fun, really, the last six weeks with him, dealing with him and all that. He’s handled – he’s gotten the short end of the stick a couple times and he’s handled it very well. Like I said, I’m excited to see what happens with him next year.”

We probably won’t know the full dynamics of what Embree is talking about, but with Mike Gesicki likely leaving this offseason, Miami would greatly benefit from Long stepping up and taking a job heading into 2023.

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