March 10--If the Bears made a mistake with Kyle Long last season, it wasn't trying the athletic mauler at right tackle; it was leaving the roster so thin up front that the move became necessary.
A full offseason to hone his craft at right tackle would make Long much improved at the position in 2016. He made the Pro Bowl as an alternate as it was. And while Long admitted having growing pains after a hastily executed Week 1 switch, his occasional struggles were exaggerated by observers who failed to understand the difference in positions.
Now, after the Bears signed former Cardinals right tackle Bobby Massie to a three-year contract on Wednesday, Long is headed back to right guard, where he emerged as one of the NFL's best at the position in his first two NFL seasons. It's not a guarantee that he'll line up there to start the season, but provided the line stays healthy and Charles Leno makes expected advancements after his first year playing, it's a good bet.
Long has been less concerned with where he plays than who he plays with. In other words, he's just glad the Bears are making strides to upgrade the front five. General manager Ryan Pace was noncommittal on a permanent position for Long at the scouting combine last month because he was setting out to get the best five linemen he could and then sort it out.
The Bears considered a couple of options and were in talks to sign Chiefs guard Jeff Allen before he went to the Texans. But they landed an experienced starter entering his prime in Massie, who is 26. The 6-foot-6, 316-pounder started 46 regular-season games and three playoff games at right tackle over the last four seasons for the Cardinals, and the Bears view him as a right tackle only, not a combination guy who can kick inside. So in the puzzle that is coming together, he figures to be at right tackle when the voluntary offseason program begins next month.
The addition of speedy inside linebacker Danny Trevathan on a four-year contract was the biggest move of the day for Pace. The former Bronco will be a building block for a defense that will undergo a total facelift. But you can't underestimate what the Massie signing means for the offensive line, where journeymen Vladimir Ducasse and Patrick Omameh were forced to play right guard last season.
The Bears are going to be better up front, and that's going to help in critical ways. Sliding Long back to right guard ought to be a major asset for center Hroniss Grasu, who needs to be much improved in Year 2. Athleticism is a real bonus at right tackle and it's a necessity at right guard if you want to have a top-notch running game. This is going to pay dividends for Jeremy Langford, Ka'Deem Carey and whoever else carries the ball.
Protection for Jay Cutler was decent last season when he was sacked 29 times, but let's not forget the high frequency of quick passes and screens. With an improved line -- and a vastly better wide receiver situation if Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White perform as expected -- Cutler should be able to hold the ball longer to make throws downfield.
"I'm not sure how everything is going to shake out yet," left guard Matt Slauson said. "We thought everything was going to be set last year and we get into camp and out of it and everything shifts. You can put the players in the spots now and say, 'Man, this is looking really good now.' You never know how it will look when we get to September, but for Kyle's sake, I think he can breathe a little bit of a sigh of relief now because he gets to go back to his comfortable spot and we can have a really good offensive line."
There's no question Long would have developed into a better right tackle than he was, but if he's truly best as a guard, the Bears win by returning him there. Leno and Grasu remain developmental pieces and Massie needs to be more consistent, particularly with his footwork in pass protection, but the Bears are heading in the right direction.
Long celebrated the addition of Massie, with whom he has trained under the guidance of LeCharles Bentley. Surely, he was thrilled with the huge dollar amounts being thrown around in free agency as well.
Elite players -- not the middle class -- are the ones cashing in, and that gives Long no reason to rush into a contract extension with the Bears, whom he helped out in a big way last season by changing positions without complaint.
bmbiggs@tribpub.com
