Kyle Long’s comeback story is being put on hold for the time being:
Sources: #Bears standout G Kyle Long is out 6-8 weeks with a foot injury suffered on Sunday. He’s getting more info, but that’s best estimate right now. A tough loss for that offense on the field and in the locker room.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 30, 2018
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoprt reports the Chicago Bears starting right guard will miss the next 6-8 weeks because of the foot injury he suffered near the end of Sunday’s win against the Jets. Long was reportedly seen at practice wearing a boot on his right foot and riding around on a scooter on Tuesday. The injury was believed to be serious enough for the Bears to dabble in the trade market before today’s deadline, but no moves transpired.
In his absence, the Bears will turn to in-house options Eric Kush, Bradley Sowell, and Bryan Witzmann – each of whom have starting experience in the NFL.
This is a blow for a Bears’ offensive line that has been better than average all year and a bummer for a player of Long’s caliber who has played through injuries on tough-luck rebuilding teams only to get injured as the team was playing its best ball. But the timetable set by Rapoport means the Bears could see Long return at the end of the regular season. Sure, that’s an optimistic scenario in which things go well in the healing and recovery processes … but we can’t rule it out. Long is a fighter who battled to play through injuries in previous years. It’s tough to imagine him not working his way back into the mix by the time the end of the season rolls around.
Should the team want to clear out a roster spot in the meantime, Chicago could place Long on injured reserve. Going that route would give the Bears roster flexibility for the next eight weeks and open a window for Long’s return in the season finale on the road against the Vikings on December 30. And if all goes well between now and then, a fully recovered Long could be in store for some games beyond Week 17.
We’ll keep our fingers crossed across the board.