The Chicago Bears had a very successful season in 2025. They won the NFC North with an 11-6 record. Chicago lost in the divisional round in overtime against the Los Angeles Rams at home.
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Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) runs with the ball against Los Angeles Rams linebacker Omar Speights (48) and safety Kam Curl (3) during the second quarter of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
The Bears in 2026 are looking to be even better than ever. Chicago has a lot of talent on offense. This franchise may have a solid one-two running back punch with D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. Monangai was a seventh-round selection from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was tremendous for Chicago during his rookie season.
NFL Analyst Believes That Chicago Bears RB Kyle Monangai Has RB1 Potential Entering the 2026 NFL Season
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Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) against the Green Bay Packers during their wild-card playoff football game Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Packers 31-27.
Wm. Glasheen /USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
Brent Sobleski of bleacherreport.com wrote about one player on each team who could prove to play a large role in 2026 as OTAs are about to begin. He thinks that Monangai on Chicago has a chance to really prove himself during his second NFL season. Sobleski said,
“D’Andre Swift is the Chicago Bears’ RB1. Kyle Monangai proved last year that he has lead back potential, too.
Monangai ranked third among all rookies last season with 783 rushing yards. The seventh-rounder’s 4.6 yards per carry ranked second among all first-year backs with at least 150 carries. He’s a natural runner, particularly between the tackles. The Rutgers product has some wiggle and brings a lot of physicality.
Swift is entering a contract year and may not be with Chicago next season. It wouldn’t be the first time Ben Johnson built an offense around Swift only to go in another direction. Buy stock in Monangai early, because he could very well be the Bears’ RB1 in 2027.”
He is only 23 years old. Manangai rushed for 783 yards on 169 carries and five touchdowns, along with averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He also caught 18 passes for 164 yards receiving and zero touchdowns, along with averaging 9.1 yards per reception. There is also a chance that Monangai could be running back one for this team over Swift by the end of the 2026 NFL season also.
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