Phins David Long is a BIG Upgrade!

Elandon Roberts brought a ton in the run game, but Long brings a ton at ALL levels

The Miami Dolphins and their fans can finally celebrate the induction of their legendary linebacker Zach Thomas to the Hall of Fame. While this is great news, Thomas can’t suit up to bring the Dolphins success on the field this season. Thankfully, the Dolphins added former Titans linebacker David Long in Free Agency, and he sure can help Miami win this year! While I am a big fan of former Maimi linebacker Elandon Roberts, David Long brings a clear upgrade at the Phins middle linebacker position.

It sure looks like we will enjoy some good middle linebacker play in 2023!.

Now, Long isn’t in the same league as Thomas, but he might end up the best MLB we’ve had in a long time!

Let’s look at deep look at Long

Long is an instinctual and active linebacker who can play the run very well.

Given how good the Dolphins defensive front is, Long should be able to play clean up quite a bit.

While Roberts made some big plays in the run game for the Dolphins, he struggled in coverage. So, it’s in pass coverage where Long will clearly outshine Roberts.

There are only three real knocks against Long: injuries, missed tackles, and he doesn’t have top notch speed.

Long isn’t Thomas, but he’s good and an upgrade over Roberts

While PFF isn’t the all-knowing Oz, they do have a lot to offer and distill a ton of info into quick avenues of evaluation. Below are the grades Long and Roberts. You can see Long had a ton of coverage assignments. You can bet with the best pay per head that this is great news with Josh Allen and likely Aaron Rodgers in the division.

Here is a clearer picture on the coverage of both linebackers.

The large YAC given up by Long isn’t pretty, but the difference in zone coverage between the two is clear. Roberts was downright disastrous in cover assignments. While Long is only passable in coverage, it’s a sizable upgrade over Roberts. Addition by subtraction is still addition.

Phins finally have a legit ‘Mike’ in town

The middle linebacker is the lynchpin that ties together the secondary and defensive front. Long is a darn good LB who led a tough and excellent Titans defense. He will do the same here… and this might be a more talented cast than he had in Tennesse.

Long’s talent and play gives a ton of credence to Phins fans predicting that the defense will be elite this year. The only wildcard for Long to be a key cog in leading a Top 5 defense is his ability to stay healthy. Long can play for sure… can he stay healthy though? Fingers crossed! Go Phins!!!