David Long was placed on waivers by the Lions Tuesday. The veteran linebacker was claimed by the Titans yesterday, setting him up to close out the campaign via a reunion with Tennessee. 
However, the team announced on Thursday that Long has failed his physical. As a result, he will not be joining the Titans’ active roster and he will return to the waiver wire with an injury designation. Teams will once again be able to add him through that route, although given today’s development it would come as no surprise if Long were to reach free agency.
The 28-year-old began the season with Miami, but partway through the year he lost his starting role. Shortly thereafter, Long was waived; the Lions moved quickly in adding him on a practice squad deal to provide needed linebacker depth. The West Virginia product wound up making a total of five appearances with Detroit, including one start. Long only logged a snap share of 23% (albeit with a regular special teams role), though, and his time in the Motor City came to an end with other several roster changes taking place as certain defenders return to the lineup.
Long was drafted by the Titans in 2019, and during his first two seasons in the league he was a mainstay on special teams while handling rotational defensive duties. The former sixth-rounder emerged as a full-time starter for the final year of his rookie contract, and he landed a two-year, $10MM free agent deal with Miami as a result. Long set a career high with 113 tackles last season, but his Dolphins tenure came to an abrupt end once he was relegated to backup duties.
With a Long reunion now off, the Titans will finish out the year with their current LB corps. Kenneth Murray suffered a wrist injury on Sunday, and Tennessee placed him on injured reserve yesterday. His debut Titans campaign is over as a result, and losing the team’s leading tackler made the waiver claim on Long an understandable move. The latter will not return to the Titans, though, and it will be interesting to see if he manages to catch on with a different team before the end of the season.