Kyle Long officially went on Injured Reserve for the fourth-consecutive season on Monday due to “nagging injuries” according to head coach Matt Nagy. This is not a temporary thing either. Long is done for the season. So the Chicago Bears will have to find a permanent replacement for him at right guard moving forward. A tough setback both for the player and the team. Nagy didn’t commit to anything when asked who Long’s replacement might be.
He seemed to hint that the job was relatively open for the taking and they’d go with the guy they feel shows them the most. The way things stand, there are two primary options and one wild card. Veteran Ted Larsen was Long’s main backup to start the season. He would seem like the obvious choice. However, he suffered a knee injury against Minnesota that he only just started to return from. Rashaad Coward is the other possibility. He’d been the Bears’ backup at tackle but was forced to move inside when Larsen went down.
Lastly, there’s rookie undrafted free agent Alex Bars. He performed well at guard in the preseason and awaits only the call up from the practice squad. Though Nagy did not offer a straight answer, he couldn’t hide the first indications. According to Coward himself, he took all the reps with the first-team offense in practice. While not a conclusive sign that the job is his, it’s definitely a step in that direction.
Chicago Bears may finally turn Coward loose
Coward is one of the most interesting players on the entire roster. A defensive tackle coming out of college, he signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2017. A year later Nagy and his staff asked him to move to offensive tackle where they felt he had a better shot to excel in the NFL. This he did and showed promising signs in the preseason. Finally, when he got his opportunity to play in an actual game, he didn’t look overwhelmed.
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Coward held his own against a tough Vikings defensive front and helped the Bears to a big win. Nagy admitted that he liked what he saw from the youngster.
“He had an edge to him that was pretty neat to see. So again short notice we talked about guys sweeping the sheds, I mean he’s a backup to the backup that game. Ted ended starting and he came in and he had a nice little physical edge that I liked in the run game and the pass game. He’s learning but he works hard and he gives up everything that he has.”
It does feel like the Bears offensive line has lacked a punch to start this year. They’ve been a bit too passive. Adding Coward to the mix might be the jolt they need to snap out of their funk. Somebody who brings more energy and effort to the equation. If he does end up starting next Sunday, it will be quite the first test against a strong New Orleans Saints front line.
