The Bears will have an important piece of their offense return for the postseason.
Chicago activated guard Kyle Long from the injured reserve list Saturday. The news marks the first day Long was eligible to return from the foot injury he suffered late in the Bears' 24-10 win over the Jets on Oct. 28 in Week 8.
Kyle Long has been activated for #DaBears regular-season finale.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 29, 2018
📰: https://t.co/xtSkXQfSMo pic.twitter.com/y9BrCpkeOf
The three-time Pro Bowl player returned to practice last Friday for the first time since injuring his foot. He was limited in practice this week and is expected to play in Chicago's Week 17 matchup against Minnesota, though according to Yahoo Sports, Long isn't excepted to play much.
“He’s had a good week of practice,” coach Matt Nagy said Friday, per the team's website. “When you’re out that long and you come back, a lot of it is just getting your wind back, your conditioning back and then obviously trying to see exactly how you feel pain-wise and then health-wise as well, but he’s done a good job.
"I feel pretty good with him playing most of the game. But we’ve got to kind of see if that’s where we’re at and if it is a ‘pitch count.’ I think a lot of that honestly is going to be more so [how he feels during the game].”
The Bears have already clinched a playoff spot, and have a possibility at earning a bye in the first round of the NFC playoffs with a win — and a Rams loss.
Kickoff between the Bears and Vikings is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.