Could David Long Help Solve the Giants Linebacker Depth Issue?

LB David Long

Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 227 lbs.
NFL Experience: 4 seasons
School: West Virginia (2015-2018)
Giants Current Cap Space: $18,626,080

If the New York Giants fan base has its way, one of the first moves general manager Joe Schoen will make as free agency opens today is to land an inside linebacker.

It certainly makes sense, as not only was the position a problem for the Giants last year, but they're potentially looking at a very deep crop of veterans that could help fill a glaring need with a “sneaky good” player such as Tennessee's David Long Jr.

Why He’d Be A Fit

Long was a standout player on a Titans defense that was ravaged by injuries in the second half of the season before ultimately succumbing to the injury bug (hamstring) himself.

However, he still put up a career season and has a bright future ahead of him at age 26. Long didn’t record any sacks, but he did everything that the off-ball linebacker position demands. Racking up 65 total tackles, Long added 24 assists and two interceptions while recording 40 stops in just 12 games.

The ability to stop the run is a major need for the Giants, as they had one of the worst run defenses in the league. Long not only stops the run, but he also stuffs it. According to official league stats, he led the Titans in tackles against the run with 26, with all seven of his tackles for loss coming against the run.

His pass-rushing ability isn’t lacking either, which is especially notable for an off-ball linebacker. His 19.8 pass-rush win percentage and 23.8 pressure rate are second-best among such linebackers over the past three years.

Pro Football Focus predicts Long landing up with the Giants, noting:

The Titans don’t have much cap space heading into free agency, and while Long was a huge part of their No. 1-ranked run defense in 2022, they’ll likely let him walk, especially with Zach Cunningham’s deal on the books. The Giants just had one of the league's worst linebacker rooms, starting a playoff game with Jaylon Smith and Jarrad Davis. They desperately need to upgrade the position, and Long would be that guy. In the regular season, Long posted the seventh-best run stop percentage among all linebackers while recording a 1.1-yard average tackle depth (best). The Giants' run defense was pretty bad in 2022, so adding Long would help shore that part of the defense heading into 2023.

Drawbacks

Unfortunately, Long’s biggest weakness is one that the Giants are also trying to address; missed tackles.

The off-ball linebacker typically gets many tackling opportunities, as it’s usually their responsibility to bridge the gap between the pass rush and secondary. Long, though, is a risk-taker amongst his off-ball peers. His style of play is very aggressive and focuses on directly stopping plays; while this contributes to his greatest strengths as a player, it’s also a double-edged sword as it makes him prone to over-pursuing his target.

This weakness particularly affects his missed tackle rates; Long had three games last season where he missed two or more tackles, with the most being four in one game. Overall, Long missed 17 tackles for a 16% miss rate. He had three missed tackles against the Giants in Week 1 last year.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Long is an intriguing option in that his biggest weakness is also a direct result of his greatest strength, and the Giants want to address both. But while he is prone to missing tackles, that should be something that can be fixed with good coaching and player development, whereas Long’s instinct to stop plays before they can even begin isn’t something that can be taught. There’s a risk behind his style of play, but there was a reward more often than not.

Long is projected to earn a $10 million AAV contract over four years. That’s a reasonable price for a player on the upswing of his career, as Long is only 26 and coming off a breakout campaign despite being cut short by an injury.

The linebacker market is loaded with talent, with players such as Lavonte David, Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, and Bobby Wagner. But Long “sneaky good” skillset that fills a team need should make him an attractive target for the Giants.

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