Virtually from the moment he arrived at Halas Hall about a year ago, Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai has garnered undeniable praise from head coach Ben Johnson. That kind of praise being given to a seventh-round pick from the word go, like that, is rare, but Monangai proved to be a rarity as a Day 3 pick.
It took a little time, as it did with a couple of other Bears' rookies last year, but Monangai eventually seized a notable role alongside D'Andre Swift in the backfield.
Starting with his breakout game in Week 9, when Swift was out, Monangai had a full-season pace of 216 carries over the rest of the regular season. Swift was more heavily used as a pass catcher, as expected, but Monangai showed some chops in that area, forcing 10 missed tackles on his 23 receptions (including the playoffs, according to Pro Football Focus).
In the Bears' Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, as a potential foreshadowing of what was to come, Monangai had almost as many touches as Swift (17, to Swift's 19) despite playing 20 fewer offensive snaps. That included four receptions, to Swift's zero.
Kyle Monangai has a clear path to taking over the Bears' backfield
While it was far more possible than it was likely, the Bears did not take a running back in last month's draft. So Monangai and Swift remain unthreatened as the top two backs, with plenty of work for both of them.
Nic Bodiford of PFF honed in on Monangai as one of three veterans who particularly benefited from what happened (or didn't happen) in the draft.
"The Chicago Bears did not draft a running back in 2026, leaving incumbent running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai to compete for the starting role. Monangai, a 2025 seventh-round pick, increased his offensive snap count from nine in Week 1 to 30 in the NFC divisional round. Swift enters his seventh NFL season and is a former Pro Bowl selection."
While Swift's overall PFF grade was noticeably better than Monangai's last year, Bodiford's deeper look showed their overall effectiveness was similar.
"Monangai’s 0.16 missed tackles forced per rushing attempt and 24.2% first-down and/or touchdown conversion rate closely trail Swift’s respective 0.18 and 25.9% rates from last year. Both players averaged 0.29 yards after contact per rushing attempt. The two performed similarly as receivers, as well. Mongangai generated a 13.3% target rate and 0.87 yards per route run, while Swift posted a 13.7% target rate and 0.98 yards per route run."Â
"Day 3 running backs are often replaced, even after productive seasons, but Poles endorsed Monangai by passing on the running back position in the 2026 NFL draft. At worst, Monangai should again operate as a featured No. 2 running back, if not steal the starting job outright this season."
The Bears will surely continue to use both Swift and Monangai a lot this year. But, with the gap between them as pass catchers not as dramatic as it's easy to assume, a shift toward Monangai as the lead back is in the offing.
Read more: Prominent NFL voice makes easy prediction about the Bears' 2026 schedule
With that shift appearing to be so clear, and with the possibility of a high-end outcome for Monangai, fantasy managers should already be taking notice of the second-year back.
Add us as a preferred source on Google