Tyler Long (born April 6, 1993) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional football punter who is a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a Public university#United States, public List of research universities in the United States, research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established i ...

and holds records for career field goals as well as the longest field goal in school history. He also has played for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

during the 2015

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) preseason. Long was a high school classmate of musical artist

Russ Russ is a masculine given name, often a short form of Russell, and also a surname. People Given name or nickname * Russ Abbot (born 1947), British musician, comedian and actor * Russ Adams (born 1980), American retired baseball player * Russ B ...

at Roswell High School.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

On May 7, 2015, Long signed with the

to compete with

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

Kai Forbath Kai August Forbath (born September 2, 1987) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football at UCLA and was recognized as an All-American and the best college kicker in the country in 2009. Forbath was signed by the Cowboy ...

. He played in three preseason games for the team. On August 30, 2015, he was waived.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On January 20, 2016, Long signed a reserve/future contract with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. On May 5, 2016, he was waived by the team.

BC Lions

Long was signed by the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

on May 24, 2017. He became the starting punter and placekicker, following the release of veteran kicker Swayze Waters. Long converted 39 of 44 field goals (88.6%) in his first season with the Lions. He also averaged 47.9 yards on 116 punts. At the conclusion of the 2018 season Long was named the Lions' nominee for Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. He was also named a CFL All-Star for the second consecutive season. On January 4, 2019, he was released by the Lions in order to pursue an NFL opportunity (Long's contract would have expired February 12, 2019).

Los Angeles Chargers

On January 14, 2019, Long signed a reserve/future contract with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

. He was named the Chargers starting punter to start the season. In Week 1, following an injury to kicker

Michael Badgley Michael Badgley (born July 28, 1995) is an American football placekicker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami Hurricanes football, Miami and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the ...

, Long took over kicking duties along with punting. He converted his only field goal attempt and converted all three extra points, while punting twice for 98 yards inside the 20-yard-line. After his NFL debut performance against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

, Long was named the Week 1 AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In Week 4, against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

, Long converted three extra point attempts and three field goal attempts in the 30–10 victory. Long signed a one-year

exclusive-rights free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

tender with the Chargers on March 17, 2021.

New York Jets

On September 14, 2022, Long was signed to the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

' practice squad. He was released on September 20.

References

External links

Los Angeles Chargers bio

BC Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Ty 1993 births Living people UAB Blazers football players People from Roswell, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Sportspeople from Fulton County, Georgia BC Lions players American players of Canadian football American football placekickers Canadian football placekickers Canadian football punters Washington Redskins players Pittsburgh Steelers players Los Angeles Chargers players New York Jets players American football punters