Former Bears OL Kyle Long’s NFL comeback hits snagPatrick Finleyon June 10, 2021 at 7:48 pm

Now a member of the Chiefs, Long hurt his knee Wednesday.

Kyle Long’s NFL comeback hit a snag Wednesday.

Playing for the Chiefs after spending last season in retirement as a CBS Sports analyst, the former Bears guard suffered a knee injury. Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters Thursday that “there’s a chance he has to have surgery on it, but we’ll see,’’ though the team does not believe he has ligament damage. They hope he’ll be back for the start of the regular season.

“I did everything I could to prepare to get back for football,” Long wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning. “Zero regrets. I’ve been getting better everyday and having so much fun with my new team. Focusing on controlling the things I can control. Yesterday was not one of those things! Thanks for the well wishes.”

Long started only 29 of 64 regular-season games over his last four years with the Bears because of a variety of injuries. He reached the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons, during which he missed only one contest.

He missed most of the 2019 season after the Bears put him on injured reserve with a hip injury that October. Long believed he could have continued playing that year. The Bears didn’t pick up his 2020 option. Long walked away from the sport and into retirement, which lasted one year.

With his body feeling better, Long went from 255 pounds in retirement to 315 pounds in preparing for his return. He signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs in March and was playing right guard during organized team activities.

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