In the preseason opener, tight end Hunter Long had a jarring drop. But instead of dwelling in it, he came through when the Jacksonville Jaguars called his name in the 17-17 tie against the New Orleans Saints.
Near the end of the second half, second-string quarterback Nick Mullens looked for Long and connected with him for a 26-yard gain. Three plays later, running back Bhayshul Tuten punched the football into the end zone to put Jacksonville up 14-3. Here's a clip of the play.
.@NickMullens threads the needle and @HunterLong makes the grab#JAXvsNO on CBS47 pic.twitter.com/vpuvRFNzRx
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 17, 2025
A third-round pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2021, Long was held back by injuries in his first two NFL seasons. He was waived in 2023 and quickly latched onto the Los Angeles Rams. There, he was able to build his stock and showed that he was a capable blocker. The former Boston College Golden Eagle then landed with the Jags when he became a free agent.
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Hunter Long just saw his stock soar ahead of the Jaguars preseason finale
Hunter Long wasn't seemingly in danger of getting the boot come cutdown day. That said, he needed to show that his drop against the Steelers was an outlier and not the norm, especially when you take into account that he had a solid offseason. He did just that in Week 2 of the preseason.
Of course, Long won't be challenging Brenton Strange for the starting job any time soon. On the other hand, he has to show that he can deliver if called upon. And that's the thing, the Jags locked him up in free agency because of his chopping blocks. This made sense when you take into account that the tight ends won't get a big amount of targets in Liam Coen's System and will be instead asked to block.
Strange filled in for Evan Engram last year and hauled in 40 receptions for 411 yards with two touchdowns. With Engram getting the boot, Strange is now TE1, but don't expect a massive uptick in his target share. Something along the lines of 55 sounds realistic. Meanwhile, Hunter and fellow backup tight end Johnny Mundt could finish with 5-10 each.
Either way, there are going to be times when Trevor Lawrence will need a safety valve, and that's when Strange, Long, or Mundt have to come through.
Hunter Long proved against the Saints not only that he can bounce back from a poor performance but also that he'll come up clutch if he's pressed into action next season.
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