Kyle Long used year away “to regain physical, mental and emotional composure”

[KC Wolf]

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When guard Kyle Long retired from the Bears after the 2019 season, he said he felt “unable to fulfill my end of the bargain” after a run of injuries that limited to 30 games over his final four seasons in Chicago.

Long toyed with a return last summer, but didn’t come back to play until he signed with the Chiefs this week. On Thursday, he met with the media for the first time since coming back and called the year off “a tremendous opportunity for me to regain physical, mental and emotional composure.”

Long also offered assurance that he’s also regained the kind of strength and conditioning needed to play in the NFL.

“It’s the renaissance year for me, the rebirth,” Long said, via Nate Taylor of TheAthletic.com. “I understand what it takes to play in this game and be dominant. I’ve been ‘Rocky IV’-ing it, man, just locking myself in that cabin and getting after it.”

The next test for Long’s comeback effort will come when the Chiefs get back to on-field work as that will bring a chance to see if he’s back to being able to hold up his end of the bargain as a blocker.