The New York Jets are reportedly trying to convince former Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long to come out of retirement for the 2020 NFL season.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News broke the news on this recently, noting the “Jets are still exploring ways to beef up their offensive line.”
Jets need to upgrade the roster
As we recently highlighted in our Jets 2020 preview, New York’s roster is still weak up front despite free agency and the draft. The Jets desperately need to beef up the offensive line. Not only to ensure the long-term development of Sam Darnold, but also to bolster what was pathetic run game in 2020.
Long, when healthy, is one of the best guards in the business. The Jets also had success luring former Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil out of retirement last year. That didn’t work out well for Gang Green, as Kalil struggled and appeared in just seven games. But it’s not surprising that the Jets are doing everything they can to bolster their line by talking to Long.
Kyle Long retired due to a long list of injuries
Originally a first-round pick out of Oregon in 2013, Long put together three straight Pro Bowl campaigns to open his career. Unfortunately, injuries defined his career from 2016 until his retirement in January of this year.
Long, who is 31, spent time on injured reserve every season from 2016-19. He recently shared what kind of a toll his 16 surgeries have taken on him personally in an in-depth article by Dan Pompei of The Athletic. It hasn’t bee easy.
With that in mind, it would be stunning if the Jets were able to convince him to get back into the game.