The Carolina Panthers didn’t waste much time getting themselves right back to a 53-man roster on Friday.
As announced this afternoon, the team has been awarded cornerback David Long Jr. off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders. The 25-year-old defender will now fill the spot left vacant by rookie linebacker Clauin Cherelus, who was just placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury.
A Los Angeles, Calif. native, Long Jr. was taken by his hometown Rams in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. The University of Michigan product, who was coming straight off a First-team All-Big Ten nod, was the 79th overall selection that spring.
Long Jr. would spend four seasons in Los Angeles, including the Super Bowl-winning campaign in 2021. There, he worked alongside a handful of current Panthers assistants—including defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, secondary/cornerbacks coach Jonathan Cooley and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.
He appeared in all eight games for Las Vegas this season.
