Former Bears OL Kyle Long praises Justin Fields: ‘He’s a freak of nature’

Throughout his Chicago Bears career, former offensive guard Kyle Long has always had his quarterback’s back, both literally and figuratively.

After being drafted in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft, Long was tasked with protecting former Bears quarterbacks such as Jay Cutler and Mitchell Trubisky in his seven seasons in Chicago.

Long publicly defended both of them on multiple occasions, while also working to keep defensive linemen from bringing them to the ground. He’s someone who will publicly back his teammates, no matter what the criticism might be.

But Long couldn’t help but gush over the newest Bears quarterback after seeing what he can do on the field, and in the batters box.

Long tweeted his support of Bears quarterback Justin Fields after a video of him and his teammates taking batting practice at Wrigley Field during an off day activity was posted. When Fields was up, he launched a ball into the stands, causing his teammates to go nuts.

“I’m gonna drop everything I’m doing this instant to say that this kid is more than just an extremely high ceiling QB,” Long tweeted with the video. “He’s a freak of nature. I’m all in on him now.”

Long, a former baseball prospect himself, knows what it takes to be a high-level athlete and has played and seen some of the best to ever do it. He grew up in a family of all-star athletes and knows a great talent when he sees it.

While Fields did play baseball back in high school, he stopped playing when he went to college at the University of Georgia, though he was heavily recruited by the school’s program. Clearly his ability to excel at multiple sports impressed Long.

The 33-year old lineman never crossed paths with Fields on the football field. He last played for the Bears in 2019 before being released the following offseason. He briefly retired but returned for the 2021 season and joined the Kansas City Chiefs, though he never played a snap for the team.

Long has a history of defending his quarterbacks but doesn’t owe the Bears or Fields anything. The fact he went out of his way to praise the 23-year old should make Bears fans feel good, while also pine for Long to occupy the vacant right guard position. Just don’t expect the latter to come true.

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