The Colts have added a former All-Big Ten standout to bolster their secondary depth with their final practice squad spot.
On Monday, the Indianapolis Colts announced the signing of former New York Giants cornerback David Long Jr. for the final spot on their practice squad:
We have signed CB David Long Jr. to the practice squad.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 2, 2024
The All-Big Ten standout for Michigan, who was a former 2019 NFL 3rd round pick, has also played with the Los Angeles Rams (*where he began his career), Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Green Bay Packers organizations.
At 5’11,” 196 pounds (with 30 3’4” arms), the 5-year veteran has 96 tackles (82 solo), an interception, and 8 passes defensed during 66 career games (12 starts). He appeared in 14 games (2 starts) last season for the Raiders, Panthers, and Packers organizations collectively, recording 19 tackles (15 solo), and a pass defensed.
Long doesn’t have the prototypical size and length that the Colts covet from their cornerbacks, but he’s gritty, physical, and competitive—and can also contribute on special teams—which is the type of player a general manager likes for those last few roster spots, particularly on a practice squad.
Here’s his former NFL.com draft profile overview from 2019:
Overview
Death, taxes and David Long sitting under a receiver’s chin waiting to jam and bully the release – all three are inevitable. He lacks height, length and makeup burst, but it is hard to find tape where those areas came back to haunt him very often. He’s patient from press, stays connected to routes underneath, but may have to adjust to off-man and prove he can withstand vertical challenges against taller targets. He’s not as long, loose or fast as teams like, but he’s a consistent cover man with the talent to find reps early in his career.
He’s not the impact ‘veteran cornerback addition’ that most Colts fans were envisioning this offseason, but he does provide experience to the tail-end of their cornerback depth chart—if he’s ever elevated from their taxi-man squad on game day.
