Kyle Long to start at right tackle

Two-time Pro Bowl right guard Kyle Long is indeed moving to tackle.

He will start Sunday’s season opener against the Packers. Long warmed up at right tackle, with Vladimir Ducasse at right guard. Coach John Fox confirmed the move on the team’s WBBM pregame show, saying that getting “our best five on the field was important.” The move will be beneficial to the passing game, Fox said.

The Bears have been playing Long at right tackle in practice the past two weeks, a reflection of their lack of faith in Charles Leno Jr. and Jordan Mills, who were fighting for the job. The Bears cut Mills one week ago.

Long has never started a game at tackle, in the preseason or otherwise. He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons.

Follow me on Twitter @patrickfinley

Email: pfinley@suntimes.com

The Latest
Here’s how Kamala Harris and the Democratic National Convention are embracing Charli XCX’s social media post that sparked a cultural movement.
Thousands gathered in Union Park for the Pitchfork Music Festival, the Chicago Bears started training camp at Halas Hall, and Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her presidential campaign.
Williams got in defensive end DeMarcus Walker’s face as he went after tight end Gerald Everett on Friday.
Bielema still needs to prove the Illini can win in a conference that just got even better with Oregon, USC, Washington and UCLA on board and has done away with divisions, the days of a weaker West now over.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, is seeking a judgment that it matched Amazon Prime Video’s offer and an order seeking to delay the new media rights deal from taking effect beginning with the 2025-26 season.