Chicago Bears Roster, Injury News 2017: Kyle Long Placed on Injured Reserve With Shoulder Injury
Kyle Long's season has officially come to an end.
The Chicago Bears have announced that Long has been placed on the injured reserve list after he aggravated a left shoulder injury in the second quarter of their game against the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday.
The Bears likely did the right thing by shutting Long down for the remaining four games because aside from the shoulder injury, the veteran offensive lineman also had to deal with injuries to his ankle and hand throughout the season.
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Long originally tore the labrum in his left shoulder during training camp in 2016, but he decided to put off surgery and he continued to play despite the injury. Still, he would only play in eight games before he sustained a serious ankle injury.
The three-time Pro Bowler would undergo reconstructive ankle surgery in Nov. 2016, and he missed the first two games of the 2017 season due to a lingering ankle issue. Long return to the field in their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 24, but he would sustain a gruesome finger injury in the game against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 29.
Long had to deal with a long list of ailments this season, but he continued to play through the pain until he could no longer do it.
"It really proves how you can face adversity. It really checks how strong you are mentally. He's going to get through it," Bears center Hroniss Grasu said, via CBS Chicago.
"He went out there, played really well, played hard, gave it everything he's got. We really appreciate him for that," he added.
"It's impressive," center Cody Whitehair said, via NBC Sports. "You know, he's a tough guy. He's what the Bears are all about: Tough guys that are fighting through certain injuries. So he's going to be missed, for sure," he continued.
