Chicago Bears: Kyle Long must get it together

Kyle Long may be one of the best players on the Chicago Bears, but he is not without flaws.

On Monday, the Chicago Bears coaching staff decided to kick Kyle Long out of practice for fighting with teammates. Now comes news that Long had his surgically repaired ankle looked at by a doctor on Wednesday. John Fox brushed off this news, saying that the three-time Pro Bowler should be back very soon. We all know, however, that the Bears are like Fort Knox when it comes to disclosing injury information, so Fox’s words should be taken with a grain of salt.

In reality, there really is no timetable with Long. He only started participating in team drills late last week, and it’s doubtful he even sees the field in the preseason. Long, who missed eight games with his ankle injury in 2016, also is rehabbing a torn labrum that he elected to not get surgery on.

His lack of availability in practice and preseason games would not be so alarming in past years, but with him making the switch from right guard to left guard, Long definitely could use the extra practice.

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It might seem like a minor move, but switching from one side of the offensive line to the other has its fair share of difficulties. For one, the stance has to be reversed, and in addition, you have to learn about how the other offensive lineman (in this case, Charles Leno Jr.) plays.

There’s no doubt that the Bears are a better team when Long is on the field and healthy. However, the way that the Bears have handled him could be a lot better. Who moves a Pro Bowl guard to right tackle literally just days before the 2015 regular season begins? And which team in their right mind would rearrange the interior of their offensive line, which was probably the team’s biggest strength last year? The Bears should just stick Long at one position and keep him there.

With that being said, Long has got to be better. It seems like he is always hampered by a nagging injury, and in the eight games he played in last season, he was ranked by Pro Football Focus Edge as just the 27th best guard in the entire league. Many say that Long is the Bears best player, but he has got to start playing like he did earlier in his career.

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The injuries he has suffered are not his fault, and getting into an uncharacteristic scuffle is tolerable. But he was handed a $40 million contract at the beginning of last season and is being counted on to be one of the Bears leaders. It’s time for Long to get healthy, be accountable and live up to his vast potential because the Bears need him right if they have any chance of surprising people this season.