The Chicago Bears press forward with training camp, as many fans have more questions than answers.
One of the biggest ones is what is going on with Bears running back Kyle Monangai. During Day 4 of training camp, it was reported that once again, Monangai was absent from the practice.
Bears just wrapped up practice in the rain. Tyson Bagent hit Zavion Thomas for a touchdown in a two-minute drill to end practice.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) August 1, 2026
Starting offense went 3-and-out in their hurry-up.
Jedrick Wills was LT1. No Kyle Monangai.
There have been no reports or comments explaining why the 2025 rookie sensation has not been with the team despite being there on the first day of camp. While Bears fans really want to know if he is okay, another player is taking full advantage of Monangai not being there.
Another Bears running back might end up being the right backup plan
On Day 3 of training camp, when Monangai was out, newly added free agent Salvon Ahmed got extra reps and did well. Ahmed was named a stud by Bears Wire's Brendan Sugrue from Day 3's practice.
"The only additional absence from Bears training camp outside of the players on the physically unable to perform (PUP) and non-football injury (NFI) lists was running back Kyle Monangai, who missed his second practice in a row. With the team's RB2 on the sideline, veteran Salvon Ahmed got the first look at running back. Ahmed, who signed with the Bears in the spring and hasn't appeared in a game since 2023 due to injuries, had a long run during practice, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Ahmed showcased his speed now that he's fully healthy. Braggs noted Ahmed has some "giddy up" to his step, which the Bears may find enticing as a third option behind Monangai and D'Andre Swift."
Ahmed had a great season with the Miami Dolphins back in 2020, putting up 319 rushing yards, 61 receiving yards, and two touchdowns on the ground in his rookie year. He currently has 593 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his career, but hasn't played a regular season game since 2023.
The biggest issue with Ahmed is his history of injuries. Despite all of that, he looks healed and has been running the football well early in training camp.
What is interesting about this situation now is that Ahmed is increasingly looking like the RB3 on the team. That would certainly put Roschon Johnson even more on the hot seat than he was entering training camp.
Johnson only got two carries last year before Monangai replaced him as the backup. Things haven't looked good for Johnson since he was hurt last year, and his reps are going down.
The Bears are now making it clear that Ahmed is in the lead as the third-string running back, and others like Johnson, Coleman Bennett, and Brittain Brown
have some catching up to do. Chicago could also be making it clear they want more speed backs than power, since Monangai is already there.
Read more: Ex-Bears DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson slammed with bad news in training camp
Training camp is only going to get more interesting from here, as Bears fans wait to see what is going on with Monangai. For the time being, though, Ahmed is giving them a reason to believe that the running back position is just fine.
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