Last season was a perfect example of how patience can really pay off as Chicago Bears fans saw running backs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai break out with great performances.
Swift had a career season with 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns, while Monangai in his rookie season got 783 yards and five touchdowns. Many offseason rankings have the pair as a top-two running back duo in the NFL, but Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame has a different perspective on it, as he placed them fourth.
"With Ben Johnson as the team’s coach, the Bears were expected to run the ball effectively after watching him scheme up Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit. As it turns out, those expectations were correct.
Chicago ran its way to the NFC North title with an 11–6 record behind Swift and Monangai, with the former rushing for 1,087 yards while the latter, a seventh-round rookie, picked up 783 yards. No back who ranked second in rushing yards on his own team had more than Monangai.
Going into 2026, the Bears are hoping quarterback Caleb Williams becomes the first man in franchise history to throw for 4,000 yards. If he does, that’ll open up the rushing lanes even more for Swift and Monangai as Johnson’s scheme expands in his second campaign with Chicago."
D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are only ranked fourth in NFL RB duo
The combination of Swift and Monangai is a perfect pairing that most NFL teams dream of having. Swift has that speed on the outside he can take advantage of and Monangai is a power back who isn't afraid of lowering the shoulders to run over guys.
Verderame believes these running back duos are better than what the Bears have:
3. New Orleans Saints: Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara
2. Pittsburgh Steelers: Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren
1. Los Angeles Rams: Kyren Williams and Blake Corum
It's hard to argue against the Rams one as that has been the most popular pairing named as number one. While the Saints and Steelers will have good backfields in 2026, those two do not compare to what Swift and Monangai have.
Dowdle is joining a new team that will need time to learn the offense, and Warren has never reached his full potential as a starter. As for the Saints, Kamara has struggled over the years to stay healthy, and Etienne has had good moments but never really had any great seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
To top it off, none of those teams have the fire-and-ice combination that Swift and Monangai have. It's a rare pairing for a team to have a speed guy and a power runner, as other old-school teams did in the past.
Read more: Caleb Williams quietly took notice of NFL analyst's hot take on him
Don't worry, Bears fans, Swift and Monangai are about to follow up their first season together with a 2026 campaign that will turn the third-ranked rushing attack in 2025 into the number one running team in the NFL.
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