The Chicago Bears just finished their 2026 draft without taking a single running back. That wasn’t an oversight.
With D’Andre Swift under contract and Kyle Monangai entering Year 2, Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson looked at their backfield and made a simple decision… They didn’t need to add a thing.
And after what Monangai showed in the second half of last season, it’s hard to argue with the confidence behind it.
The numbers tell the story
GettyBears RB Kyle Monangai
Kyle Monangai was a seventh round flier on a Rutgers back nobody expected much from. What he turned in was 783 rushing yards, five touchdowns, and 164 receiving yards in a dominant rookie season.
His story has a clear turning point… November 2, Cincinnati, with Swift out due to injury. Monangai popped off with 198 yards from scrimmage, 176 of them on the ground in a 47-42 shootout win over the Bengals.
Later, when asked how the game compared to his college career high of 208 yards against Akron, he didn’t hesitate: “I like this 176 more than my 208 at Akron. The moment was bigger.”
After that game, he never really slowed down as he gained 740 of his 783 rushing yards and scored all five of his touchdowns over the final 12 games of the season.
He and D’Andre Swift combined to give Chicago the third best rushing attack in the NFL at 2,456 yards. They were the only RB duo in the league to each crack 750 rushing yards.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was asked about Kyle Monangai at the end of the season and wasn’t even slightly surprised by what he’d seen.
“When you come into the building like he does and have his approach every single day, you know what you’re going to get,” Johnson said. “He ran hard; he lowered his pads. I thought that he played some inspiring football… No one was surprised.”
What’s next for Kyle Monangai?
GettyBears RB Kyle Monangai
But here’s the counterargument… Year 2 is where a lot of young backs hit a wall.
Matt Forte, who dropped to 929 yards and committed five fumbles after 1,238 yards as a rookie, knows the feeling.
“Once you get full tape on you, they know what they can try to scheme to try and stop him,” Forte said.
But Forte also pointed to something that makes Monangai’s situation different: the offense he plays in. With Caleb Williams drawing coverage and Ben Johnson’s play action system demanding respect on every down, opposing defenses can’t just sell out against the run.
“You can’t put nine guys in the box every time,” Forte said. “He’s gotta reinvent himself… I think that’s kind of the learning curve he’ll go through camp, and I think he’ll be able to do that.”
Now Monangai is heading into his second year with a full offseason of reps;. And he knows the challenge that lies ahead.
“There are a lot of things I can improve on for sure,” Monangai said after the season. “I was just trying to gain the trust of the organization, gain the trust of my teammates… We fell short at the end of the season. But personally, I did some good things and there are definitely some things I can build off of.”
Kyle Monangai came in as an afterthought at pick 233. He left his rookie year as one of the most important pieces on a dominant Chicago Bears offense. Year 2 is his to own.
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