It was in 2013 when the Bears made it a point to correct their issues with the offensive guard spot. The big move was spending a first-round pick on Oregon’s Kyle Long, the son of Howie Long and younger brother of Chris Long. While Long is still around and playing well, he was helped mightily as a rookie thanks to another addition that same offseason.
Matt Slauson was a veteran free agent acquisition who came over at a relatively cheap rate. This was after the Nebraska product played four seasons as a member of the New York Jets. After hardly seeing the field as a reserve in his rookie season, Slauson was promoted to the starting left guard and started all 16 games for three seasons in a row.
Despite his 48 consecutive starts, Slauson received a contract from the Bears for less than $1 million. It didn’t take long to prove that this deal was a steal for Chicago. Slauson started every game for them and proved to be quite the mentor for Kyle Long during his rookie season, who even made it to the Pro Bowl in his first season. After that year was over, Slauson received a four-year extension with the Bears.
A knee injury limited the veteran to just five games in 2014, but he came back strong in 2015. Shockingly, he was cut from the team before the 2016 season, as general manager Ryan Pace decided to move on from him. That was a mistake, as Slauson has continued to play well when called upon and has position flex as a guard and center.