Kyle Long Is Giving the Chicago Bears Much-Needed Stability at Right Tackle
Published by Matt Eurich on October 15, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The right tackle position in Chicago has been a revolving door since quarterback Jay Cutler arrived in 2009, but the Bears have found much-needed stability at the position this season with Kyle Long anchoring the right side of the offensive line.
The Bears used a combination of Frank Omiyale, Chris Williams, Kevin Shaffer, Lance Louis, J’Marcus Webb, Gabe Carimi, Jonathan Scott and Jordan Mills at right tackle during Cutler’s first six seasons with the Bears, but they all struggled at the position.
Mills started 29 games for the Bears at right tackle between 2013 and 2014, but the team opted to release him before the start of this season. Since no tackle on the roster was able to earn the starting job during training camp, Chicago decided to move Long to right tackle before the start of the season, despite his success at right guard.
The Bears drafted Long with the 20th overall pick in 2013, and the former Oregon Duck quickly earned the team’s starting right guard job that summer. He started all 16 games that season, and according to Pro Football Focus, he allowed just two sacks in 1,070 snaps. He was named to his first Pro Bowl at the conclusion of the 2013 season.
He missed one game last year due to injury, but according to Pro Football Focus, he did not allow a sack in 1,024 snaps last season. He received his second straight Pro Bowl nod, and he was also named a second-team All-Pro.
Long spent training camp and the preseason as the team’s starting right guard, but he started at right tackle against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, per ChicagoFootball.com’s Kevin Fishbain:
Long struggled at times against All-Pro pass-rusher Julius Peppers, but he received praise from offensive coordinator Adam Gase for his performance.
“I felt like he did better than what he’s giving himself credit for,” Gase said after Week 1, per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Adam Jahns. “I know he’s going to be harder on himself. I thought he did a great job. There’s a couple things he needs to clean up, which he will in time. I feel like he’s going to be a top-tier guy really quick.”
The biggest thing Long struggled with in Week 1 was the placement of his hands in pass protection.
In the middle of the first quarter, with the ball at Chicago’s 31-yard line, Long squared off against Peppers—who was playing out of a three-point stance along the line of scrimmage:
Long shuffled his feet well out of his stance and was able to engage Peppers quickly off the snap, but the veteran pass-rusher dipped his shoulder and beat Long to the outside for the sack:
Peppers was able to get past Long for the sack because the young right tackle struggled to gain control with his hands off the snap of the ball:
Long later admitted he made mistakes against Green Bay, and he said he would have to put in the work to get better.
“Anybody can make mistakes,” Long said, per ChicagoBears.com’s Larry Mayer. “But as a professional athlete, you need to be able to move on, take your lumps and figure out what it is and why they happened the way they did—what my role was, what possibly the defender’s role was in it—and move on and try to fix that.”
He allowed one sack the following week against the Arizona Cardinals, but he looked much more comfortable at his new position. According to Pro Football Focus, Long finished the game with a plus-3.4 overall grade and allowed just one sack and one quarterback hurry.
Chicago’s offense stumbled in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks with Jimmy Clausen under center because Cutler was out due to an injury, but Long held up well against a tough Seahawks defensive line.
In Week 4, Long faced his biggest challenge of the season since going up against Peppers in Week 1. Long lined up opposite of Oakland‘s Khalil Mack for much of the afternoon, and he held his own against one of the best young pass-rushers in the game, per Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei:
Following a solid performance in Week 4, life did not get much easier for Long in Week 5 when he squared off against Kansas City’s Justin Houston. The former University of Georgia standout recorded a league-leading 22 sacks last season, and according to Pro Football Focus, he also registered 56 quarterback hurries in 1,057 snaps.
Long and Houston battled throughout the afternoon, and while Long gave up six quarterback hurries, per Pro Football Focus, Houston was a non-factor for much of the game.
Per ESPN’s Louis Riddick, Long was at his best during Chicago’s final drive of the fourth quarter:
The Chiefs sent Houston—as well as outside linebackers Tamba Hali and Dee Ford—at Long on Chicago’s final drive on offense, but the former Pro Bowler stood his ground during the final minutes of the game and kept Cutler clean in the pocket.
Throughout the afternoon, Long shuffled his feet well, he used his hands to gain leverage and his athleticism was on display every time Houston tried to rush from the outside.
Even though he played well on Sunday against the Chiefs, he was not satisfied with his performance, per the Chicago Tribune‘s Rich Campbell:
Long has had his share of ups and downs this season in pass protection, but after playing well against guys like Mack and Houston in back-to-back weeks, he has proven that he can be a reliable right tackle.
In addition to playing well in recent weeks as a pass-blocker, Long has also been one of the team’s best run-blockers. According to Pro Football Focus, Long’s plus-1.0 run-block grade is second best on the team, and running back Matt Forte is averaging 7.6 yards per carry when running to the outside of Long this season.
The Bears have struggled to find a capable starter at right tackle since Fred Miller anchored that side of the line back in 2006, but Long looks to be well on his way to becoming one of the league’s best young tackles.
If Long can continue to improve his footwork and tighten up his technique, he could be a starter on either the left or right side of Chicago’s offensive line for years to come.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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