Bears G Kyle Long recovering from multiple surgeries

Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long is recovering from three surgeries and has not been cleared for full participation, but he expects to be ready for the 2018 regular season.

"I couldn't tell you," Long told the Chicago Tribune when asked when he expected to be cleared. "If it were up to me, I'd be full go right now. I feel as if I am. But there are certain things that are time-sensitive that we have to follow a certain timeline with - the neck being one of them. It's not something you want to take lightly. We're going to take all the time we need, but there will be no limitations once the season rolls around."

Long had ankle surgery after the 2016 season causing him to miss time at the beginning of last season. He then ended the 2017 season on injured reserve.

Long had neck surgery in December, then had operations on his shoulder and elbow later.

"I couldn't tell you medical jargon (for what they did to my neck)," he told the Tribune. "But I can tell you my neck wasn't structurally the way it was supposed to be. I had some nerve issues that contributed a lot to the shoulder (problem) that I had been complaining about for a while."

A Pro Bowl selection each of his first three seasons (2013-2015), Long has missed 14 games over the past two seasons because of injuries.