As the Chicago Bears prepare for training camp, there have been whispers and questions from those on the outside looking into the organization regarding their prized offensive lineman, Kyle Long. Making the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons, Long has been a stud at the guard position for the Bears who historically had struggled along the offensive line since bringing in quarterback Jay Cutler.

During their offseason program, the Bears were doing something a bit different with Long. Not only did he line up at guard, they also inserted him at right tackle, a spot that currently belongs to third-year pro Jordan Mills. Coming out of the same NFL Draft class back in 2013, Long and Mills have developed a solid relationship dating back to their rookie year.

As the Bears’ best offensive lineman up front, it would be a mistake to move Long from guard to tackle. Now, I highly doubt Chicago would ever do something like this, as they typically work their guys up front around quite a bit in practice in case of an emergency game situation.

If head coach John Fox decided to allow Long to play the tackle position, it would do a couple of things. First of all, it would take the competition right out of a spot that, at the moment, should have a fairly decent battle throughout training camp. Mills will compete with other tackles such as Michael Ola and Charles Leno for the position. Along with removing the competition, you also remove any faith whatsoever that you once had in Mills — who still has potential, if he puts in the work.

Second, if Long moves to tackle, it would take him out of his natural comfort zone. Of course, Long played every position on the offensive line throughout college, but with a new coaching staff and a brand new playbook, Long has already started to become comfortable with where his assignments are at guard. Let’s not forget this is only a third-year guy who has been a Pro Bowl player each of his first two seasons. Would Chicago really take him out of the position which maximizes his talent? I don’t see it happening.

For now, the Bears will continue to use all of their linemen at various positions up front because, typically, they carry seven offensive linemen into game day. We will see more of what the scheme looks like as training camp gets underway July 30.

Ryan Heckman is a writer for www.RantSports.com covering the NBA and NFL. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

Related

Bears Fans Are Better Than Packers Fans