Chicago Bears: 6 Players who likely won’t return in 2020

Kyle Long, Offensive Guard

Okay, so this is a move that will hurt a lot of Chicago Bears fans. Long has been an integral part of the Bears. He is arguably the most popular player on the team. He was there when the team was a mess. Even though this season hasn’t progressed the way everyone wanted, the team is still in a position to compete for the postseason.

It would have been nice to see Long involved in helping the Bears win big games but it looks as if that won’t happen. He suffered another injury, this time his hip.

Long’s history with injuries is widely chronicled. His first three seasons resulted in Pro Bowl appearances. He was the lynchpin on the Bears’ offensive line. Suddenly, though, the injuries started to pile up. Over the past four seasons, including this season, he’ll have missed 34 games.

All the injuries to Long’s body were just too much for him. Even when he was on the field this season he really struggled. He couldn’t move and defenders controlled him, something we never saw with Long. He started holding too much and watching that was painful.

By parting ways with Long, the Bears save $8.1 million. Combining the losses of both him and Leno gives the team $16.1 million in savings. With that money, they can acquire a dependable left tackle to protect Trubisky’s blindside and either use it to acquire another lineman or use it in another area and look to the draft for a lineman.