Bears coach Matt Nagy said the team still is evaluating injured guard Kyle Long and hoping for the best. But Nagy is enough of a realist to acknowledge the worst-case scenario and address obvious questions about his Plan B in case Long is out for an extended period.
“I guess he could be [out for the season], but I’m not sure,” Nagy said. “It’s one of those [injuries where] it could be a little bit of time, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily season-ending.”
Nagy noted that Eric Kush, who had started the first six games at left guard but missed the Bears’ 24-10 victory Sunday against the Jets with a stinger, is expected to practice and play this week. Kush or rookie James Daniels likely would move to Long’s right-guard spot. Kush and Daniels had been alternating possessions at left guard the previous three games before Kush’s injury. Bryan Witzmann, who started 14 games with the Chiefs last season, including a playoff game, replaced Long for the Bears’ last two plays against the Jets.
“We’re [making] our contingency plans right now — most of [Monday and Tuesday],” Nagy said Monday at Halas Hall. “But the good thing is that we do have Kush, with him coming back, and Bryan Witzmann, who was with me in Kansas City last year. So I’m going to give credit to [general manager] Ryan [Pace] for going out and always having depth, which is great.”
Long was hurt on a first-and-10 inside run with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Bears leading by 14 when teammate Dion Sims, engaged with Jets rookie linebacker Frankie Luvu, fell backward onto Long’s leg. Long immediately screamed in pain, and teammates quickly motioned for medical personnel to come onto the field. Long was helped off the field and was unable to put any weight on his right foot.
Nagy reiterated Monday that the injury was not the same as the severe right-ankle injury Long suffered in 2016 that required surgery to repair ligament and tendon damage. Long missed the last seven games of that season and the last four games of 2017 with a shoulder injury. The 6-6, 316-pound Long had started in 54 of the Bears’ 55 games from the start of his NFL career in 2013 to Oct. 20, 2016, missing only one game, and made the Pro Bowl his first three seasons.
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Long had three surgeries in the offseason — on his shoulder, neck and elbow. The Bears brought him back cautiously, giving him rest days throughout training camp and into the season. He started all seven games.
“For him to go through what he’s gone through the last couple of years with injuries, you feel for the guy,” Nagy said. “He’s been doing real well. Since our first day in OTAs [offseason practices], he’s been a constant leader — very engaged in meetings. He’s done things the right way.
“Right now we’re hoping that it’s good news. But we won’t know for a little bit. But when we do find that out, then we’ve got to deal with it either way. He’s just got to stay mentally strong as much as he can.”
The Bears’ offensive resurgence under Nagy has coincided with continuity on their offensive line. Left tackle Charles Leno Jr., Kush, center Cody Whitehair, Long and right tackle Bobby Massie started the first six games.
The Bears were 10th in yards and eighth in net offensive points before the ‘‘Monday Night Football’’ game between the Patriots and Bills. Last year, they were 30th in yards and 29th in points when they had eight different line combinations.
