Dolphins’ Brandon Jones, David Long Jr. react to lack of playing time. And Fangio explains

When Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr. played for the Tennessee Titans, he logged at least 54 defensive snaps in every game he played the past two years.

Before Dolphins safety Brandon Jones sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 last year, he had played at least 25 snaps in 18 consecutive games, and at least 37 in 17 of those 18 games.

So it was quite a surprise when Jones was used on only two defensive snaps, and Long for just 17, in Sunday’s 36-34 win against the Chargers.

In discussing the matter this week, both players made clear they wouldn’t make an issue of the lack of playing time, but both said it wasn’t something they expected.

Jones didn’t play in preseason, and the team handled his practice participation cautiously throughout training camp. But he indicated he practiced fully last week and his knee is fine.

Asked if he knows why he didn’t play more in the opener, Jones said: “Not too sure, honestly. I had an idea and I prepared like I was going to play. Felt pretty good last week, good enough to play. But I guess it was a decision they came up with, I guess, in my case, to treat it like a preseason game because I didn’t have any preseason, and not just throw me out there.”

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Thursday that Jones’ lack of playing time was primarily the byproduct of his lack of practice reps. “He’s been way behind in practice reps,” Fangio said. “I didn’t feel he was quite ready to be out there yet. He’s closing that gap. Hopefully we’ll get to see him more.”

Jones certainly isn’t angry with the player who replaced him; former Detroit Lions starter DeShon Elliott, Jones’ close friend and former teammate at Texas, played all 81 defensive snaps opposite Jevon Holland.

Elliott “had some good plays, some not so,” Fangio said.

Jones, while not complaining at all, indicated he hopes to return to a significant role on the Dolphins’ defense.

“I hope so,” said Jones, who was one of the NFL’s most productive safeties as a pass rusher for 1 ½ seasons before his ACL injury. “I feel great. This is the best I’ve felt in 10 months. Waiting to rip that Band-Aid off and get back out there on defense.”

What do coaches want to see? “Getting as many reps as I can to show them mentally, I know the playbook, I’m able to make checks and communicate in certain situations and play fast,” Jones said. “Physically, they want to make sure I’m the same player I was before.”

Beyond the two snaps on defense, Jones also played 18 snaps on special teams. “It was definitely a lot of emotion,” Jones said of his first game since last October.

“I had a lot going through my mind. I was just happy to be there. The more times I’m on the field, whether special teams or defense, I’m able to check off boxes and get back to the player I was before.”

As for Long, he signed with the Dolphins after averaging 62 defensive snaps per game for the Titans last season — equal to 89 percent of the team’s snaps for the 12 games that he appeared in. (Long missed five games with a hamstring injury).

Long said he was not told that he would play so little on Sunday, but he’s not going to complain about it.

“My job is to do what’s asked of me, make the best of it,” said Long, who was rated 14th best among all linebackers by Pro Football Focus last season. “I [must] show what I can, when I’m able to. “If you ask me, I want to be out there every snap.”

Though Long started, Andrew Van Ginkel — playing a lot of inside linebacker for the first time in his career — logged 51 snaps alongside Jerome Baker, who played all 81 defensive snaps.

In evaluating the performance of the 20 Dolphins defensive players who appeared in Sunday’s game, PFF ranked Van Ginkel sixth and Long 16th.

Fangio said Thursday that Long is “the starter in base package [and] Van Ginkel the starter in nickel package. [Against the Chargers], we ended up playing more nickel in that game. We moved him there, tried him out there in OTAs, we felt throughout whole process, he kind of won the job on merit.”

Long indicated he hasn’t been told if his snaps could vary depending on the opponent, though Fangio’s comments suggests that will be the case.

“That’s a good question,” he said. “Take it week by week and seeing where their head is at and take it from there.”

What do coaches want to see from? “Just be consistent,” Long said.

He made clear that he’s “very comfortable” with the defense. “I want to get back in the [rhythm] of playing football. Whenever I’m out there, the biggest thing is my energy. I’m going to play my run game, pass game whatever is asked of me, whether it’s talking [expletive] or just bringing that edge.”