Bears Shut Down Kyle Long For Season

By Chris Emma--

(CBS) Bears guard Kyle Long finished his first three NFL seasons in the Pro Bowl. This year will finish like the last, with the Bears placing him on injured reserve.

Long has been dealing with continued pain in his left shoulder ever since suffering a torn labrum in August 2016. The injury has only worsened recently, with Long leaving a loss to the 49ers on Sunday. Two days later, the team has officially placed him on IR.

Long opted not to have surgery on his shoulder last offseason while having his right ankle repaired after a gruesome injury suffered last November. It remains to be seen what the next course of action will be for Long, though a procedure on the shoulder is a possibility.

The Bears also placed defensive lineman Mitch Unrein (knee) on injured reserve. Offensive lineman Cameron Lee and linebacker Howard Jones were promoted to the active roster. Tight end Colin Thompson and offensive lineman Will Pericak were signed to the practice squad.

With Long and Unrein both placed on injured reserve, the Bears now have 13 players shut down for the season -- this after Deiondre' Hall and Quintin Demps were designated for a return from IR. Only Hall has been activated to the roster.

The Bears (3-9) return to practice Wednesday in preparation for their their game against the Bengals (5-7) in Cincinnati on Sunday.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670 The Score 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.