💥 BREAKING NEWS: The Bears may have found their game-changer as Kyle Monangai heats up exactly when the stakes get real ⚡. DH
Kyle Monangai has been one of the best rookie running backs this season. He will play a key role down the stretch as the team looks towards a deep playoff run.
Despite being the 22nd running back off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft, Kyle Monangai has been one of the best backs from this year’s class. He ranks fourth with 591 yards on the ground and is tied for second with five rushing touchdowns through the first 12 games.
The 23-year-old has a mere 43 fewer yards than Ashton Jeanty, who was selected 227 picks before him, despite having 60 (!!!) fewer carries. Do you think he would eclipse 43 yards on those 60 attempts? I personally think he likely would.
He’s also the only rookie who has eclipsed the century mark on the ground twice this season. Simply put, he’s been a revelation. The Bears certainly found something special in their seventh-round rookie, and Ben Johnson says they’ve known it for a long time.
“Not only is he a hard runner, willing to lower his shoulder, tough to bring down, but this guy can do it all,” Johnson said during an interview with ESPN analyst Peter Schrager. “I’ve got a trust level with him that’s above and beyond.”
Johnson deployed a thunder-and-lightning approach with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit. Chicago seems to have found a similar pairing with Monangai, who brings the power to the equation, and D’Andre Swift, who brings the speed element. They have eerily similar vibes and eerily similar production to when Johnson was calling the plays for the Lions. In fact, you could make a strong case that they’ve been even more efficient than their counterpart this year.
With the playoffs on the horizon and the Bears looking to make a deep run as the NFC’s current number one seed (really, how awesome is that?), they will probably lean on the ground game even more as the regular season comes to a close. That will especially be the case with each of their games being played outdoors in the elements the rest of the way.
