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The New York Giants signed some Super Bowl-winning experience for a rebuilding secondary by acquiring defensive back David Long Jr. in a post-2024 NFL draft free agency raid.
Long’s arrival was confirmed by Giants.com Managing Editor Dan Salomone on Wednesday, May 1. He reported how Long gained his exposure to the Lombardi Trophy with the Los Angeles Rams back in the 2021 season.
The 26-year-old “has appeared in 66 regular-season games with 12 starts. His career numbers include 97 tackles, eight passes defensed, and an interception. He has also played in six postseason games with one start, which occurred in the Rams’ victory over the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.”
Long, who “was originally a third-round draft choice by the Rams in 2019,” followed his Super Bowl win by suiting up “for three teams (Raiders, Panthers, and Packers) in 2023.”
He’ll now join a Giants’ defensive backfield made over by the additions of Jalen Mills in free agency, as well as two draft picks, safety Tyler Nubin and cornerback Andru Phillips.
David Long Jr. a Versatile Addition to Thin Position Group
There was a room for another cornerback, and the Giants have wisely signed one who’s versatile enough to play multiple spots. As Nick Falato of SB Nation’s Big Blue View detailed, “Long has 964 career snaps out wide and 275 inside at slot.”
The Giants have contenders to play on the perimeter or to line up inside. Long could be more of a factor in the latter role, where returning restricted free agent Nick McCloud has spent time.
So has Cor’Dale Flott, but Long could take some slot snaps from both if he proves he can still make plays like his maiden pro interception. Long snatched the pick as a member of the Rams against the Chicago Bears in 2021.
Signing Long has given the Giants and new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen some scheme flexibility on the back end. There’s still work to do, though, before they can complete a necessary overhaul of the secondary.
Giants Have Remade Secondary
Similar scheme flexibility is afforded by the presence of safety Mills, who can also play cornerback. Yet, Bowen may prefer to lean on this year’s third-round draft pick Phillips at corner.
The ex-University of Kentucky standout was compared to one of Bowen’s former players by Dane Brugler of The Athletic (h/t Brugler’s colleague Dan Duggan): “He’s a Brugler favorite who he compared to Roger McCreary, who was a second-round pick by the Titans when Shane Bowen was the DC there.”
Phillips is a tough defensive back who isn’t afraid to make tackles at every level of the field. The 22-year-old is credited by Giants.com with being “sticky on routes,” as well as having “the mindset of a safety when engaged in run support.”
An appetite for contact in the running game was summed up by Phillips being an active tackler in 2023, per PFF NY Giants.
The Giants still lack elite-level talent at cornerback, and the additions of Phillips and Long don’t change that. Even so, a commitment to adding more bodies to the mix increases the chances of Bowen assembling a group better fitted to a matchup scheme more subtle than the man-heavy coverage plan favored by his predecessor Don ‘Wink’ Martindale.
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