Should the Chicago Bears Move Kyle Long Back to Guard in 2016?
Published by Matt Eurich on December 22, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears asked two-time Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long to move to right tackle just before the start of this season, but after a couple shaky outings the last few weeks, the Bears will have to make a decision this upcoming offseason on what Long’s best position is moving forward.
Drafted 20th overall in the 2013 draft out of Oregon, Long earned the starting right guard job during training camp that summer. He started all 16 games that season, and according to Pro Football Focus, he finished the year with a plus-1.7 overall grade and allowed just two sacks, nine quarterback hits and 21 quarterback hurries in 1,070 snaps.
The rookie guard was named to the Pro Bowl after the season and became Chicago’s first offensive lineman to be named to the Pro Bowl since center Olin Kreutz and guard Ruben Brown in 2006.
In 2014, Long had an even more impressive year than he had in 2013. He missed one game due to injury, but he finished the year with a plus-13.1 overall grade and allowed zero sacks, two quarterback hits and 13 quarterback hurries in 1,024 snaps.
He was once again named to the Pro Bowl, and he became the first offensive lineman in Bears history to receive that honor in his first two years with the team.
After Long was named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year, he received praise from quarterback Jay Cutler, per Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com:
Despite all of his success in his first two years in the league at right guard, the team opted to move him to right tackle just before the start of the 2015 season after he spent the majority of training camp and all of the preseason at right guard.
The former Oregon Duck made his NFL debut at right tackle in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, and he struggled against former Bears pass-rusher Julius Peppers. For the afternoon, Long gave up one sack and four quarterback hurries.
Even though he struggled at times against Peppers, Long embraced the opportunity to play a new position.
“I knew I was going to get everything and then some in terms of looks and stunts and twists and blitzes,” Long said after the game, per Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald. “That’s part of the game. I’m fresh blood in the water. They want to see what the deal is over there. So I embraced the challenge.”
After allowing a sack in each of his first three games at right tackle, Long began to settle in against the Oakland Raiders in Week 4. Long battled edge-rusher Khalil Mack all afternoon, and Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei was impressed by the young tackle:
Long gave up six quarterback hurries in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he allowed just two quarterback hurries in his next four games combined. However, he struggled in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos and gave up six quarterback hurries.
Long played well against the Packers on Thanksgiving night and again in Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers, but he played one of his worst games of the year against the Washington Redskins in Week 14.
The former Oregon Duck gave up a sack to outside linebacker Trent Murphy that resulted in a fumble by Cutler, and he was also called for a false start—his eighth penalty of the year.
“I can’t expect to get beat like that and have a spot on the team and have a happy locker room,” Long said after the game, per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Mark Potash. “False start—uncharacteristic for myself; getting beat for two sacks—uncharacteristic of myself.”
In Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings, Long tried to bounce back from his poor performance in Week 14, but he struggled against defensive end Brian Robison.
In the second half after the Bears recovered a surprise onside kick, Robison lined up opposite of Long on first down:
Long struggled to gain an advantage with his hands off the snap of the ball, and Robison was able to beat the young tackle on the outside:
Cutler was unaware of the pressure coming from his right side, and Robison hit him just as he was getting ready to attempt the pass:
The Vikings then recovered the ball and scored a touchdown six plays later.
“Even if you block a guy for 70 plays and he gets a strip/sack fumble after an onside kick after the half, it creates a 14-point swing for the other team,” Long said about the play after the game, per ChicagoBears.com’s Larry Mayer. “That’s not the best position to put your defense in.”
Long allowed one sack and two quarterback hurries, and he struggled with both his footwork and hand placement all afternoon.
Now that Long has struggled in back-to-back games, are the Bears going to entertain the idea of moving him back to guard this upcoming offseason?
“We’re going to keep him where he’s at and once we finish this year out, we’ll go back and re-evaluate and see what happens after that,” said offensive coordinator Adam Gase before Week 15, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com.
The transition has not gone as smoothly as the Bears would have hoped, but Gase appreciates the effort Long gives.
“Him making that transition shows you what kind of a team guy he is,” Gase said about Long, per the Chicago Tribune‘s Rich Campbell. “I’ve been in some situations where guys just flat out say, ‘I’m not going to do that,’ because it’s not in their best interests. He did it for us. He has been a valuable part of our leadership.”
Long was arguably a top-five guard during his first two years in the league, and the Bears will have to decide this offseason whether it makes the most sense to move him back inside or keep him outside at tackle.
He was at his best as a guard in the running game because of his athleticism, and he was effective in pass protection because of his strength and good footwork. At tackle this season, Long has been able to use his athleticism to his advantage at times, but he has a tendency to lunge at quick, explosive edge-rushers instead of engaging with them off the snap of the ball.
The former first-round pick has proven this year that he has the ability to be at least an average right tackle, and the Bears will have to decide whether they want an average tackle anchoring the right side of the offensive line in 2016 or if they want to return their two-time Pro Bowler back to his best position.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Pro Football Focus 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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