Titans stock report: A.J. Brown and other rookies who are on the rise
David Long, LB
Tennessee Titans sixth-round pick, linebacker David Long, is having himself a nice preseason in his first year. Building on a solid preseason opener, Long played on a team-high 88 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 2, while also leading the Titans in tackles with eight (five solo).
One thing that’s easy to notice about Long is that he’s a passionate player when on the field and sidelines.
More importantly, Long plays fast. He’s the type of player who seems to be playing at a higher rate of speed than everyone else, making those around him look like they’re moving in slow motion. In today’s fast NFL, having sideline-to-sideline speed is vital for linebackers.
Long got a shout out from his head coach after Preseason Week 2.
Mike Vrabel on David Long, who had a game-high 8 tackles last night (and played a team-high 88% of defensive snaps): Hes active, instinctive, but needs to clean up details.
— Erik Bacharach (@ErikBacharach) August 18, 2019
High compliments from another linebacker for sure. As far as ironing out the details is concerned, the same can be said for most rookies in this league. What you can’t teach is being active and instinctive, and Long already appears to have both of those qualities.
The Titans are stacked at inside linebacker, so clearly Long isn’t going to start. However, if he can surpass Daren Bates on the depth chart in a backup role to start the season, it wouldn’t be a major surprise based on his play.