Kyle Monangai

The Bears passed on veteran backs in free agency and ignored the position in the draft outside of a late pick on Monangai, who earned praise in OTAs and carried the momentum into training camps. Roschon Johnson remains unproven, potentially putting Monangai in the mix for Week 1 carries in Chicago.

Within 24 hours of another, Nick Chubb and J.K. Dobbins signed with teams other than the Chicago Bears. This was not how Bears fans and media hoped things would turn out.  

Perhaps they'll wait for a cut of a meaningful talent like Jerome Ford or Khalil Herbert, or they are comfortable rolling with the combination of Roschon Johnson and Monangai as the complements to D'Andre Swift.  

Monangai, at worst is a smaller but determined runner with vision and quickness along the lines of Peyton Barber. At best, he eventually could inspire (the good on-field) memories of Ray Rice but that may require additional muscle and explosion he may not generate as a rookie. 

Monangai is a smart back. If he wins the RB2 job outright, this is where I think he'll land in my rankings. If he earns a split or loses to Johnson, we'll adjust accordingly. 

Monangai, unlike Johnson made a career running effectively behind subpar line play. He could shock the Bears.

Zero fumbles on 669 career collegiate carries. A tone setter and tough runner. Ranked 18th in Nation in yards after contact (862) and 19th in Nation in missed tackles forced (66) in 2024. Upside in Ben Johnson's offense in somewhat of an ambiguous backfield.