MIAMI GARDENS — There’s an old saying about hard-nosed defensive players that goes something along the lines of: “When he hits you, you stay hit.”
Apply that to Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr. and safety DeShon Elliott. It fits.
“On offense, you can hear it before you see it,” fullback Alec Ingold said of Long, who wears No. 51, and Elliott, who wears No. 21.
“And anytime you’re on the sideline and you hear a play, it’s probably 51 or 21.”
Long and Elliott bring it every day, every game. But the similarities don’t stop there. They share the same agent, David Mulugheta, they’ve known each other since their Big 12 college days (Elliott was at Texas, Long was at West Virginia), they worked out together at Kollective Gym in Austin in the offseason, and they signed with the Dolphins on the same day: March 17, 2023.
On a defense blessed with talented players such as All Pro cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard, safety Jevon Holland, defensive lineman Christian Wilkins and edge rusher Bradley Chubb, Long and Elliott serve as two of the tone-setters.
They’re hard hitters. They’re old-school football players who love contact and aggression.
“The thing I liked about me and DeShon signing at the same time,” Long said, “is I already knew what type of player that he is, he’s kind like me — a headhunter. He’ll get up and talk stuff, and he also is a leader in his own way.”
When you ask teammates for a word to describe Long or Elliott, “intense” is the one used most often.
“That’s a good word to describe both of those guys because typically just as people, they’re very good people, good character guys, pretty chill for the most part,” Wilkins said.
“But when they’re out there playing, they’ve got that juice, they’ve got that intensity. And ball is important to them, and they want to be their best.”
Although they’re both in their first year with Miami, Long Jr., a fifth-year player who spent the previous four seasons with Tennessee, and Elliott, a sixth-year player who spent his first four years with Baltimore and last season with Detroit, have made their presence known with their physicality and their attitudes.
Elliott said he’s pretty chill during the week.
“Once the game hits, s—, I’m not gonna lie. That’s one thing that’s good is that me and D-Long coming in together, that helped both of us out a lot because of the type players we are.
“Our physicality, we play off each other.”
Long, who comes off the field for the nickel package, has a team-leading 78 tackles, five for losses, one sack, one pass defended and a forced fumble in 528 snaps, which represents 68.1% of defensive snaps. He’s rated as the NFL’s best run-stopping linebacker by Pro Football Focus.
Elliott has 52 tackles, tied for fifth on the team with Chubb, six passes defended and one fumble recovery in 683 snaps, which represents 88.1% of defensive snaps and is second-most among defensive players after nickel/slot cornerback Kader Kohou (700).
Elliott (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) was steeled under the wings of Baltimore veteran safeties such as Eric Weddle, Earl Thomas and Tony Jefferson. He was brought to Miami partly because safety Brandon Jones, his college teammate at Texas and the man he helped introduce to his future wife, was recovering from a knee injury.
Elliott, who facilitated Jones’ marriage because his ex-girlfriend was best friends with Jones’ current wife, took the starting job from Day One and hasn’t let it go. He played every defensive snap in the opener at the Los Angeles Chargers and ended with a season-best 13 tackles.
“In Baltimore, I was known as the intense guy,” Elliott said, “So coming here and having somebody else’s intensity about the same, I think it’s really cool.”
Long uses his size (5-foot-11, 227 pounds) to his advantage and blends it with his intensity to be very effective. He’ll face his former team, Tennessee, on Monday. Their coach, Mike Vrabel, indirectly pointed to Long as someone who needed to work harder in the offseason to prevent the hamstring injuries that sidelined him for six games each of the last two seasons.
Asked if that comment would motivate him, Long replied, “A little.”
That could be bad news for the Titans. After all, Long isn’t the type that needs extra motivation.
“He’s very intense on the field,” right tackle Austin Jackson said. “Chasing him, he’s fast too. He’s fast, he’s got a good center of gravity. I’m like 6-5 and he’s probably like 6-0, 5-10. If I’m not bracing myself to make contact with him with my knees bent, that’s tough for me.
“Cool dude,” Jackson said later, “but on the field he’s a monster.”
