If there's one position on the Chicago Bears everyone has been interested to see what Ben Johnson will do in his first year as the team's head coach, it's at running back. Johnson had a couple of absolute studs when he was the offensive coordinator in Detroit with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, two guys he could lean on in a variety of ways and in every type of situation.
In Chicago, things are a little more interesting. The Bears didn't exactly run all over teams last season and their top back -- D'Andre Swift -- was actually a castoff of the Detroit Lions while Johnson was there. It doesn't really bode well for his long-term standing on the Chicago Bears depth chart at that position.
With that in mind, everyone has been wondering how the Bears were going to possibly shake up the running back spot. They were a popular destination in mock drafts for Ashton Jeanty, but the Raiders took him off the board before Johnson and Bears GM Ryan Poles could be tempted to pull the trigger.
After the first round, it felt like any round was fair game. But most expected earlier than the Bears took a back, which ended up being in the 7th round.
Bears rookie running back Kyle Monangai impresses, could challenge for early playing time
The Bears used a 7th-round pick on Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai, a complete contrast in investment from Ben Johnson at a position where he had a relatively big-money free agent (Montgomery) and a first-round pick (Gibbs) in Detroit.
Monangai is a shorter back out of Rutgers with a thick lower half who did not test overly well in the pre-draft process. Still, he was a favorite of many in the NFL Draft community for his toughness.
With Swift and holdover Roschon Johnson not exactly lighting it up last season, the Bears could be open for business when it comes to their running back position. And Monangai got himself an early opportunity to impress which he did not waste.
.@BradBiggs on Bears running back Kyle Monangai: "It's a wide-open competition there at the running back position. You would imagine D'Andre Swift will be in the front of that, but there's an opportunity for two things — playing time and touches. That's why they drafted him." pic.twitter.com/fxmmvwP93W
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) May 12, 2025
It's clear that the Bears didn't take Monangai because of his athletic traits or RAS (Relative Athletic Score). He was taken because of what he put on tape. And there are a number of reasons to believe that he could get in the rotation and turn the running back depth chart on its head in Chicago, just like another former Rutgers back did recently in Kansas City with the Chiefs.
Could the Bears have themselves the next version of Isiah Pacheco on their hands? It seems like head coach Ben Johnson and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle seem to think so.
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