Chiefs guard Kyle Long suffers knee injury

Chiefs guard Kyle Long suffered a leg injury that could keep him out of training camp (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport). It’s believed to be a fractured kneecap, but it’s not quite as serious as it sounds. There’s a chance that Long could be ready by Week 1, even if he’s forced to sit out much of training camp and the preseason.

Long joined the defending AFC champs on a one-year deal worth up to $5M in March. Previous to that, the 2013 first-round pick spent his entire seven-year career with the Bears, earning three Pro Bowl appearances and a second-team All-Pro nod in 2014. However, he dealt with a long list of injuries between 2016 and 2019, averaging only 7.5 games per season over that four-year span. After being limited to only four games in 2019, Long announced his retirement last offseason. The Bears subsequently declined his option.

Now, he’s set to make his NFL return, once he’s healthy. He’s just one piece of the Chiefs’ revamped offensive line, starting a few spots over from fellow guard Joe Thuney and big-ticket acquisition Orlando Brown.