Chicago Bears Pro Bowl offensive lineman Kyle Long was seen in a walking boot after practice on Thursday after suffering an injury to his left calf.
According to The Chicago Tribune’s Rich Campbell, “[Chicago Bears right guard] Kyle Long was wearing a walking boot on his left leg after he departed practice early with what team said was a calf injury.”
Bears RG Kyle Long was wearing a walking boot on his left leg after he departed practice early with what team said was a calf injury.
— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) July 28, 2016
Though the timeframe for Long’s recovery from this sort of calf injury is only around three to four weeks, this isn’t good news for the Bears offense during their training camp. Long has been a Pro Bowler each of his three seasons with Chicago since being drafted No. 20 overall out of the University of Oregon in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Long has been a Pro Bowler at both tackle and at guard, helping the Bears move the chains aerially despite not being a solid football team in any of his three years with the organization. The thought was that Long was going to kick back inside and play right guard in 2016 after the Bears signed former Arizona Cardinals right tackle Bobby Massie in 2016 NFL free agency.
Long’s presumed extended absence in training camp could prove troublesome for new Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who takes over for Adam Gase, now the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
While this injury of Long’s doesn’t seem like it will keep him out for any regular season games, Chicago doesn’t want to suffer another setback offensively. Gase left to coach the Dolphins and longtime running back Matt Forte signed with the New York Jets this past spring. Long’s health will be key for the Bears to overcome their offseason losses on the offensive side of the ball.
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