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theramswire.usatoday.com] Hunter Long excited to join Rams after 'tricky situation' with Dolphins
Cameron DaSilva
March 24, 2023 6:52 am PT
Hunter Long has mostly been a forgotten part of the Jalen Ramsey trade. In addition to a third-round pick, the Los Angeles Rams got the young tight end in return for Ramsey.
But for a player with just one career catch, it’s been hard for fans to get excited about his arrival in Los Angeles. The problem is, Long was buried on the depth chart in Miami and relegated to a role as a blocking tight end.
It’s not that he was an undrafted free agent or late-round pick. Long was drafted in the third round two years ago, the third tight end selected in the class. He’s now joining a Rams team that he hopes will give him the opportunity to catch more passes and contribute as a receiver, which should be L.A.’s plan – even with Tyler Higbee still on the roster.
Long spoke to Stu Jackson of the Rams about joining Sean McVay’s squad and he’s excited about the fresh start.
“Definitely, it was a surprise for me, but I’m really excited for it,” Long said.. “Really excited to join the Rams, really excited to get out there and start working with the coaching staff. Coach (Nick) Caley’s a great tight end coach they just brought in, so I’m really excited to start working with him. But yeah, just excited for the opportunity. It’s a great opportunity for me and excited to take advantage of it.”
At Boston College, Long caught 28 passes for 509 yards in 2019 and another 57 passes for 685 yards in 2020 before entering the NFL draft. He’s more than capable of catching passes, the Dolphins just didn’t give him many chances to showcase that part of his game.
“I came into kind of a tricky situation. I came into a tight end room that already had five tight ends, and three established tight ends,” Long said. “As a rookie, my role was with a rookie role and kind of plugged in where I could and do I what could. This last year, I definitely carved out a bigger role for myself. Unfortunately, dealt with some injuries early on, and kind of picked up steam later in the season when I was able to get over those injuries. I was definitely in more of a blocking role this year, but that was not because I can’t run routes and catch the ball, you know? I’m as team-guy as they come, and whatever the team needs to do to win games and help the team be successful, I’m gonna do and do to the best of my ability. So that’s all I was asked to do, and I tried to excel at that, but that’s obviously not my whole game.”
Long said the Rams understand he’s not just a blocker, which he says “was obviously good to hear.” He doesn’t fully know what his role will be yet, but it’s hard to imagine him not getting more opportunities than he did with the Dolphins.
