Ben Johnson takes his praise of Bears rookie to its logical next step

The Chicago Bears were clearly in the market for a running back this offseason, in free agency to some extent and certainly the draft. That effort didn't come to fruition as hoped, and while it would've been easy to force it, they waited until Day 3 of the draft to add someone to the backfield mix.

D'Andre Swift might be the lead back in the league who is most vulnerable to losing a notable chunk of his role this season. Roschon Johnson was undeniably underutilized last season. Rookie Kyle Monangai, despite being a seventh-round pick, has potential and he has a possible path to immediate playing time.

Coming out of mandatory minicamp in June, Bears head coach Ben Johnson was generally hesitant to single out anyone as a standout. But he did have praise for a few players, and who he specifically mentioned stood out as notable.

"In the running back room, Kyle Monangai has really stepped up", Johnson said. "I appreciate the attention to detail and the pride he takes and how quickly he's picking things up."

Ben Johnson makes logical progression in his praise of Kyle Monangai

After the good reviews of his work during OTAs, training camp was going to be the huge next step in Monangai's push for a significant role as a rookie. During Sunday's "Family Fest" a Soldier Field, he scored two rushing touchdowns to grab the attention of the fans in attendance (including one with the first team offense).

Monangai fell to the seventh round primarily because of concerns about his size (5-foot-8) and a slow 40-yard dash time (4.6 seconds; the third slowest time among all running backs at the NFL Combine). But there's a big difference between standing out in what amounts to the "underwear Olympics" on the field in Indianapolis and playing football.

During Johnson's media availability on Sunday, a reporter noted how Monangai (obviously) didn't "pop" at the combine, but when the pads come on, he's a "different player."

"Yes, I think so. I’ve been very pleased with where he’s at,” Johnson said. “I think he’s a guy that we’re going to be able to trust this fall.”

In a sneaky (or maybe a not-so-sneaky) way, Johnson put Swift on notice by saying Monangai is becoming someone who can be trusted when the season starts. When Johnson was the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator in 2022, Swift struggled to hold up physically when a large role was available. Head coach Dan Campbell essentially threw in the towel after that season, foreshadowing a trade that came in April of 2023.

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It was to be determined if Johnson's praise of Monangai was going to extend beyond unpadded practices, into more meaningful work. The rookie has proven himself worthy of continued praise during training camp, so the Bears' head coach has naturally taken notice with some notable acknowledgement as the first preseason game approaches.