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Kyle Long

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/21/21

December 21st, 2021 at 10:49pm CST by Ely Allen

Once again, we’ve had a busy day of moves on and off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Here are the players who were placed on the list or activated off of it today:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Dalton Keene (remains on IR)

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Football Team

Chiefs Activate OL Kyle Long

November 30th, 2021 at 4:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Kyle Long is officially on the Chiefs active roster. The team activated the veteran offensive lineman from the reserve/PUP list today, per ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).

Long came out of a one-year retirement to join the Chiefs this past offseason. However, he suffered a lower leg injury in June that ultimately delayed his return to the field. The 32-year-old finally returned to practice earlier this month, and now he’ll be able to join a Chiefs roster that’s making a push toward the playoffs.

Long joined the defending AFC champs on a one-year deal worth up to $5MM in March. Previous to that, the 2013 first-round pick spent his entire seven-year career with the Bears, earning three Pro Bowl appearances and a second-team All-Pro nod in 2014. However, he dealt with a long list of injuries between 2016 and 2019, averaging only 7.5 games per season over that four-year span. After being limited to only four games in 2019, Long announced his retirement.

Long’s versatility means he should see a role for the Chiefs down the stretch. The Chiefs have used three different starters (including Lucas Niang, Mike Remmers, and Andrew Wylie) at right tackle, so the veteran could perhaps provide some stability to that spot when the team returns from their bye this Sunday night.

To make room on the roster, the Chiefs placed running back Jerick McKinnon on injured reserve with a hamstring injury (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter). The veteran joined the Chiefs this past offseason and has seen time in 11 games, collecting 119 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches. He’s also seen a significant amount of time on special teams. Defensive tackle Khalen Saunders also landed on IR.

This Date In Transactions History: Bears Place Kyle Long On IR

November 14th, 2021 at 8:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Five years ago today, the Bears lost star offensive lineman Kyle Long for the year with a severe right ankle injury. Unfortunately, his health troubles did not end with the 2016 season.

Kyle Long (Vertical)Long’s right ankle injury capped his season after just eight games. But, before that, he performed as one of the best offensive linemen in the game. Long made three straight Pro Bowls in his first three seasons, seeing time at both guard and tackle. And, in all three years, Pro Football Focus had him ranked top five at his position.

“It seems like we’ve got somebody freaking hurt every game,” left guard Josh Sitton said after the ’16 injury. “It sucks watching him down there on the ground. It’s tough to see one of your friends, one of your teammates and a helluva competitor, he was down there and he was in a lot of pain. It was tough to see.”

Long missed only one regular season game from 2013-2015. But, from 2016 through 2019, he made just 30 appearances out of a possible 64. It wasn’t just the ankle — there was a labrum tear in his left shoulder, triceps strains, painful hip injuries, and other maladies. After he was shut down in ’19, we didn’t hear much about Long in the early part of 2020. Then, there were summer rumblings of a return.

“Full transparency I miss football, but at what cost? [Still,] I’m most likely gonna be on golf courses instead of gridirons,” Long tweeted, before adding. “I didn’t retire, I got fired.”

The Chiefs hired/signed Long this past March, but a June knee injury kept him from joining the Week 1 roster. Now, for the good news – the Chiefs designated Long for return last week. Now, just before his 33rd birthday, Long could be on the verge of completing his comeback.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/21

November 9th, 2021 at 6:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Chiefs Reach 53-Man Limit

August 31st, 2021 at 4:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The two-time defending AFC champions pared their roster to 53 players Tuesday. Following some early cuts Monday, here are the rest of the moves the Chiefs made to get there:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/NFI list:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Long will miss the Chiefs’ first six games. The recently unretired offensive lineman suffered a knee injury in June. While Long was part of the Chiefs’ extensive offseason offensive line puzzle, the team made several moves to create O-line depth after its Super Bowl LV blocking debacle. Kansas City traded for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., signed guard Joe Thuney and center Austin Blythe, and drafted center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith. Long and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who opted out last year and came up in trade calls this week, are not expected to start but would stand to provide high-end depth on Kansas City’s retooled line.

 

The Chiefs took Powell in the fifth round. The Clemson alum would make sense as a practice squad candidate, but the Chiefs will run the risk of anther team claiming the rookie wideout and preventing such a scenario. Kansas City lost Sammy Watkins but returns the likes of Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson as supporting-cast receivers.

Chiefs’ Kyle Long Suffers Knee Injury

June 10th, 2021 at 4:25pm CST by Zachary Links

4:25pm: Andy Reid said Thursday afternoon Long might need surgery on his latest injury. That said, Reid does not think the veteran blocker sustained ligament damage, per Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links). This update makes Long’s setback sound a bit more serious, but avoiding ligament damage would be key for his chances at being ready for his new team by Week 1.

9:44am: Chiefs guard Kyle Long suffered a lower leg injury that could keep him out of training camp (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport). Fortunately, it doesn’t appear to be too serious. There’s a chance that Long could be ready by Week 1, even if he’s forced to sit out much of training camp and the preseason. 

[RELATED: Chiefs’ Charvarius Ward Signs Second-Round Tender]

Long joined the defending AFC champs on a one-year deal worth up to $5MM in March. Previous to that, the 2013 first-round pick spent his entire seven-year career with the Bears, earning three Pro Bowl appearances and a second-team All-Pro nod in 2014. However, he dealt with a long list of injuries between 2016 and 2019, averaging only 7.5 games per season over that four-year span. After being limited to only four games in 2019, Long announced his retirement last offseason. The Bears subsequently declined his option.

Now, he’s set to make his NFL return, once he’s healthy. He’s just one piece of the Chiefs’ revamped offensive line, starting a few spots over from fellow guard Joe Thuney and big-ticket acquisition Orlando Brown.

Chiefs To Sign OL Kyle Long

March 17th, 2021 at 5:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Kyle Long‘s comeback tour will see him joining the defending AFC champs. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the veteran offensive lineman is signing with the Chiefs. Long is signing a one-year deal worth up to $5MM.

The 2013 first-round pick had spent his entire seven-year career with the Bears, earning three Pro Bowl appearances and a second-team All-Pro nod in 2014. However, the offensive guard dealt with a long list of injuries between 2016 and 2019, averaging only 7.5 games per season over that four-year span. After being limited to only four games in 2019, Long announced his retirement last offseason. The Bears subsequently declined his option.

We learned earlier this month that the 32-year-old was eyeing a return to the NFL. If he can stay healthy, Long has a good chance of contributing with his new squad. The Chiefs have made revamping Patrick Mahomes‘ offensive line a priority this offseason, and they proved that by giving Joe Thuney a hulking five-year contract. The team was also mentioned as a potential suitor for Trent Williams before he re-signed with the 49ers.

The Raiders were also a suitor for Long’s services, a logical landing spot considering the player’s father, Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, played his entire 13-year career with the Raiders. However, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets that Long’s visit with the organization didn’t necessarily go as planned. Some sources told the reporter that Long’s workout “didn’t go that well,” while others told Tafur that the free agent was “freaked out” by the organization’s decision to dump center Rodney Hudson.

Kyle Long To Visit Raiders, Chiefs

March 14th, 2021 at 9:59pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard recently that Kyle Long was planning on playing in 2021, and now we know he’s serious about it. The recently un-retired offensive lineman will visit the Raiders and then Chiefs this week, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Schefter reports that Long will be in Las Vegas on Monday before heading to Kansas City. As he points out Long’s father, Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, played his entire 13-year career with the Raiders, so this would be a cool continuation of a family legacy. Long retired in January of 2020, but one season away from the game was enough to satisfy his body.

Drafted 20th overall by the Bears in 2013, Long made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons before injuries quickly derailed his career. Over the past four seasons he never appeared in more than 10 games for Chicago, and played only four most recently in 2019.

Now apparently fully healthy, he’s ready to get back on the gridiron, and both of these teams make sense as potential suitors. The Raiders just traded tackle Trent Brown, and cut guards Richie Incognito and Gabe Jackson in the past couple weeks, although Incognito may return on a cheaper deal. The Chiefs have made revamping Patrick Mahomes‘ offensive line a priority this offseason, and they’ve already cut both of their starting tackles and are expected to let their starting center walk.

Long has mostly played guard in the NFL, but did make the Pro Bowl while filling in as the Bears’ right tackle in 2015. It sounds like he could have numerous options to choose from during his first taste of free agency.

OL Kyle Long To Return To NFL

March 9th, 2021 at 1:14pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

On a busy day full of trades and franchise tag news, we’ve also got a player coming out of retirement. Offensive lineman Kyle Long is planning on returning to the NFL and has signed with an agent, his brother Chris Long confirmed on Twitter.

Long retired from the league in January of 2020, then admitted in July that he missed the game, but ultimately sat out the season. That one season away was apparently enough for him to feel re-fueled. The 20th pick of the 2013 draft, Long spent each of his seven seasons in the NFL with the Bears. He had immediate success, starting at least 15 games in each of his first three seasons and making the Pro Bowl in all of those years.

Injuries soon caused things to unravel, and over the following four seasons he never appeared in more than ten games. Still only 32 and capable of playing at a high level, Long should have no problem finding a home assuming he’s healthy. Hopefully the year off was enough to get his body right.

He’s mostly played guard, but also started 16 games and made the Pro Bowl at right tackle in 2015.

Jets Notes: Adams, Johnson, Clowney, Long

July 28th, 2020 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Douglas confirmed the Jets had trade talks with several teams regarding Jamal Adams but categorized the sweepstakes-winning Seahawks as the most aggressive suitor. The Jets and Seahawks began talking weeks ago, and Seattle’s two-first-rounders-and-change offer swayed Douglas from planning not to trade his All-Pro safety to pulling the trigger (Twitter links via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano). Adams lobbed salvos at Douglas and Adam Gase, and when Douglas listened to offers for the decorated defender at last year’s trade deadline, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link) Adams reached out to several Cowboys players to inform them of his interest in going to Dallas. This irked Jets teammates, coaches and team brass. While Douglas said he wanted to make Adams a Jet for life earlier this year, the second-year GM said this week he never promised him a contract, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).

Here is the latest coming out of Jets headquarters:

  • Although the 49ers have made some big trades under their current power structure, John Lynch said they did not call the Jets about Adams, via NBC Sports Bay Area. However, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reported (via Twitter) involved parties believed the Cowboys and 49ers were both involved in talks with the Jets for Adams. The 49ers, who joined the Cowboys on Adams’ list of preferred destinations, re-signed Jimmie Ward this offseason and have starter Jaquiski Tartt back as well.
  • New Jets safety Bradley McDougald said Jadeveon Clowney remains interested in a deal (Twitter link). The former No. 1 overall pick expressed Jets interest in April as well. The Jets were linked to Clowney in March but, despite an apparent need for pass-rushing help, are not believed to be interested in the three-time Pro Bowler. Adams finished as Gang Green’s second-leading sacker in 2019.
  • Douglas convinced Ryan Kalil to unretire and become the Jets’ starting center last season, so reports of him being in talks with recently retired guard Kyle Long earlier this year carried a bit more weight. But Douglas said those talks were merely friends catching up. Douglas spent 2015 in the Bears’ front office prior to leaving for Philadelphia. That said, Mehta notes the two indeed discussed Long unretiring. The Jets re-signed Alex Lewis and added Greg Van Roten to a guard group that includes longtime starter Brian Winters.
  • Amid larger headlines involving current U.S. ambassador to Great Britain Woody Johnson, the Jets owner was reported by CNN to have made racist and sexist comments during his time as an ambassador. Johnson has denied the allegations, which prompted a State Department investigation. Following the report, however, acting Jets owner Christopher Johnson called almost every player on Gang Green’s roster to listen to their concerns, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes.
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