Chicago Bears RG Kyle Long to practice for first time Saturday
The Chicago Bears opened the first week of training camp without last year’s No. 1 draft pick as Kyle Long was dealing with a viral infection that prevented him from getting on the field and mixing it up with his teammates.
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Chicago made serious improvements on the offensive line in the first year under head coach Marc Trestman and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer and the drafting of Long was a key reason the line went from one of the worst in the NFL prior to their arrival to one of the more solid units in the league.
Losing Long for an extended period of time during training camp would have taken a sizable chunk into the developmental time for the second-year guard who has many believing his future could be as a Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle, but the good news is he is over the infection and will practice for the first time on Saturday.
LM: #Bears G Kyle Long expected to practice for first time Saturday night at Soldier Field Family Fest.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 1, 2014
Long was the starter at right guard after the team took him with the No. 20 pick out of Oregon and quickly became a fixture on the offensive line and even earned Pro Bowl honors, albeit as an injury replacement.
Hopefully for Long and the Bears this will be the last time Long is not in the offensive huddle this season as they need him to continue to develop at guard and open up holes for Matt Forte and protect quarterback Jay Cutler.