Chicago Bears rookie running back Kyle Monangai played well above his draft status this season.
The 233rd overall pick in the seventh round out of Rutgers found a role in Ben Johnson's offense. He finished with 732 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 169 carries, providing a stable and reliable complement to lead back D'Andre Swift.
Monangai also finished fifth among rookie running backs in total rushing yards. Only Ashton Jeanty (975), TreVeyon Henderson (911), Quinshon Judkins (827), and Jacory Croskey-Merritt (805) were ahead of the Bears’ rookie.
During the Bears’ end-of-season locker room cleanout, Mongani reflected on what he is looking forward to most next season.
“There are a lot of things I can improve on for sure,” Mongangai said. “I was just coming into this thing I was just trying to gain the trust of the organization, gain the trust of my teammates, make them feel like they made the right decision in bringing me here, and then trying to help us win games at the end of the day. We fell short at the end of the season. But personally, looking at it, like I said, I did some good things, and there are definitely some things I can build off.”
There are areas to Kyle Monangai's game that must improve for 2026
Monangai started his response by stating that he has “a lot of things” he can improve, which speaks volumes about the Bears’ running back and his mindset. And, as impactful as Monangai was during his rookie season, he still has areas of his game that can improve.
One is his pass blocking. The 5-foot-9, 209-pound running back finished with a 29.4 pass blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus, which placed Monangai 62nd among running backs with at least 20% of 124 pass blocking snaps.
Monangai also ended the regular season with 66.7% of targets caught among running backs with at least 20% of 121 targets, ranking Monangai 48th in the league.
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Throughout his rookie season, Monangai proved he would run with physicality and break through tackles. If he can elevate his pass blocking and receiving ability, then he will make himself a more well-rounded running back for Year 2 in Johnson's offense.