Kyle Long is your favorite tough guy’s favorite tough guy, and nothing proves it like the lengthy list of injuries he has been playing through, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports:
Jay Glazer on Kyle Long: “This guy has been playing with a torn labrum, two dislocated fingers, a torn tendon in his hand, a torn ligament, and a reconstructed ankle. So while a pinky is a very valuable appendage, that’s not what Kyle has been dealing with.“ #DaBears
— The Ten-Yard Line (@TheTenYardLine) November 19, 2017
During his weekly appearance on the FOX NFL Sunday pre-game show, Glazer ran through a list of injured players whose playing status were in limbo leading up to the first slate of games. Glazer rolled through a set of names and eventually landed on the Chicago Bears’ right guard and rattled off the ailments that have nagged him this season.
Torn labrum. Two dislocated fingers. A torn tendon in his hand. Torn ligament. Reconstructed ankle.
Long missed Week 10’s Bears-Packers game with a hand injury he suffered in the team’s Week 8 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Head Coach John Fox said Long could have possibly returned to play against the Saints, but preferred to have a 100 percent healthy player. That preference was shown two weeks later when Long didn’t start at right guard against the Green Bay Packers.
Long suited up for Chicago’s first game after the bye week, but played just one snap on special teams during a Connor Barth field goal attempt. The three-time Pro Bowl lineman had been limited in practice in the days leading up to the Packers game and was listed as questionable, but the team didn’t think he could be a full participant on the offensive line.
So while Long has been battling injuries since last season, Glazer’s list of Long’s injuries explains his usage in recent weeks.