Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai may have been an unknown commodity when the Bears drafted him in the seventh round out of Rutgers last season, but the Bears’ running back made a name for himself in Chicago’s backfield.
The 5–foot-8, 207-pound back finished his rookie season with 169 carries for 783 yards and five rushing touchdowns. He finished with the fifth-most rushing yards among rookie running backs last season, and Monangai wasn’t the feature back, unlike some of the players who were drafted ahead of him.
By the time Monangai’s rookie season was over, he became a household name in Chicago.
Kyle Monangai talked about his rookie season with Bears
Monangai joined “The Pete And Sebastian Show” and discussed some takeaways from his rookie season, including if opposing defenders engaged in smack talk with the Bears’ running back after they tried tackling the physical runner.
Monangai shared that he didn’t do much smack-talking to the defense during his rookie season, but he could sense when his running style started to impact defenders.
"They don’t want to let me know that I got them,” Mongangai said. “But I know. You can read body language. They struggle when it takes four, five to take me down.”
Monangai averaged 3.0 yards after contact per attempt and forced 25 missed tackles as a runner, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Bears’ running back was also asked about Ben Johnson’s playbook and how different the NFL game is compared to what he knew at Rutgers. Monangai admitted there were times when the Bears broke the huddle, and he had no idea what his assignment was on the specific play.
“You may not know the totality of our playbook and how in-depth it is,” Monagai said. “Like we even have to know so many plays, and it’s for great reason, you know. Especially as I’ve gone further in my career and now at the highest level, playbooks don’t get easier. They get harder.”
One of the biggest hurdles was going from the sideline signs in college to hearing Caleb Williams talk through the entire play and trying to hear him in hostile road stadiums. Monangai did mention that Williams does a great job annunciating the play, which helps in those critical situations.
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After using his rookie year as a learning experience, Monangai is poised to make a major impact for the Bears this season as the team continues its upward trajectory.