Kelly: David Long Jr. is Tone Setter for Dolphins Defense

The steady improvement David Long Jr. has made in the Dolphins defense has helped sew together Vic Fangio's scheme

It’s been a long and arduous road, one that’s been humbling and filled with self-discovery, but David Long Jr. is finally playing like he’s comfortable in the Miami Dolphins defense.

The inside linebacker’s performance the past month, which has been filled with the signature gap-shooting tackles for short, or no gains that convinced Miami to sign the 27-year-old to a two-year, $10 million deal as a free agent to replace Elandon Roberts, reflects that.

Long has moved into the team lead when it comes to tackles (63), moving ahead of free safety Jevon Holland, who was forced to sit out one game because of the concussion he suffered in a collusion with Long in Miami’s loss against the Philadelphia Eagles three weeks ago.

Long is seemingly diagnosing opposing offenses faster, and he’s shooting gaps without compromising the integrity of Vic Fangio’s defense, which is what seemingly got Long off to a rocky start with the Dolphins’ new defensive coordinator, who routinely asked for consistency from the former West Virginia standout.

“I think throughout the season when I was getting these questions about the scheme or the problems we had early, there were so many observations or opinions, and all I said was once we get rolling, everybody gets used to the defense and used to each other, especially the front seven, you will see a difference,” Long said, referring to the Dolphins defense, which has steadily improved its ranking the past two months.

Dolphins defense closing in on top 10

Fangio’s defense began the season as one of the NFL’s bottom dwellers, but has steadily moved up to 12th in total yards allowed per game (322.4), 13th in rushing yards allowed (106.2) per game, and 12th in third-down conversion rate (36.8) heading into Sunday-s home game against the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that’s riding a two-game winning streak after firing Josh McDaniels as the team’s head coach and replacing him with Antonio Pierce.

Even though the Raiders will start a rookie quarterback (Aidan O’Connell), they feature what can be argued as the best receiver (Devante Adams) and tailback (Josh Jacobs) duo in the NFL.

It’s going to be on Long and fellow inside linebacker Jerome Baker to contain Jacobs, who has gained 622 rushing yards on 186 carries, caught 30 passes for 253 yards, and has scored five touchdowns this season. But Jacobs, last year's leading rusher, is averaging a paltry 3.3 yards per carry.

Despite all of Miami’s defensive improvements, the Dolphins remain among the bottom-dwellers in red zone defense, where 67.7 percent of those opportunities turn into touchdowns (which ranks 28th), and points per game allowed at 25.0.

Only the Denver Broncos, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears are allowing more points, and that’s not good company to keep.

“I think you’ll continue to see that because we’re more familiar with each other and the scheme,” said Long, who is 24 tackles away from eclipsing a career high in stops. “I think everything is hitting at the right time.”

And that includes Long’s increased comfort, which has resulted in him being included in more packages, which has brought about more playing time.

“I think David has been improving all along here the last couple of weeks,” Fangio said. “Hopefully he can keep doing that.”

Defense is becoming whole

To Miami’s credit, the defense has produced this turnaround without having All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey for the first seven games, and while missing Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard for two games because of a groin strain he’s nursing, and Jaelan Phillips for three games because of his back and oblique injuries.

All three starters are back in the lineup, which means Miami’s defense is at full strength, and that potential could lead to a push up the rankings in the second half of the season.

And it all starts with Long continuing to put his stamp on this defense, filling in the gaps, continuing to set the tone on running downs.

“I think David is a heck of a player,” defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said. “I love having him around and playing behind me. He’s a different dude when those pads come on. He’s real quiet off the field, but on the field he brings it.”