The Chicago Bears have had an up-and-down season so far. They can play fantastic football at times, but they are also vulnerable to making terrible plays on both sides of the ball. To make things worse for them, they took a big hit to their offensive line when the team had to send Kyle Long to the injured reserve.
It was a tough decision for the entire team, but they decided to push through with the tough decision if they were to have any shot of making it into the playoffs. His hip injury has nagged him throughout the first five games of the season and the three-time Pro Bowler has not performed like the quality linesman the Bears have come to know and love.
Coach Matt Nagy himself is aware of the gravity of his decision, per NBC Sports' Cam Ellis:
“Obviously everyone has seen the news [about] Kyle, with putting him on the IR,” he said. “I think it's a tough situation just because of what he's been going through and where he's at … He's always been really good to us and what he's done. We just felt like that was where he's at right now and it's what we wanted to do.”
Long hasn't been a reliable guard for the team, and he is one of the reasons why they have one of the poorest rushing offenses in the league at 403 yards. While he's not the only reason for the team's poor rushing game, his shortcomings have become far too obvious for the entire team to ignore.
Long's inclusion on the IR is symbolic for multiple reasons.
He has been a consistent fixture to the squad whenever he's available. While he hasn't played a full season since 2015, his quality shines through on the offensive line. To put him on the IR is admitting that he's not the same player that they drafted with the 20th pick in 2013.
He's also a vocal leader that Nagy can count on in the locker room. He's helped multiple rookies get used to the Chicago Bears culture, and he has been an important cog for the offensive line. Having him sit out for the rest of the season is removing an important piece of the O-Line for the team's improvement in the long run.
While they still don't know which player will fully take his place, they made this decision with heavy hearts. Only time will tell if this was the right move for the franchise.
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