The Chicago Bears face a serious health situation at running back. Roschon Johnson has been out for almost two weeks with a foot injury. Then, in the preseason win over Buffalo, rookie Deion Hankins was lost for the season with a quad injury. That was after fans learned that 7th round pick Kyle Monangai would not play in the game. It was reported that he’d suffered an undisclosed injury in the joint practice with the Bills two days earlier. Suddenly, the depth at running back, which was already a question mark, began to look alarming.
Chicago had already signed veteran Brittain Brown last week. Shortly after the Buffalo game, they had to add Royce Freeman as well. That left many wondering how serious the Monangai situation is. Thankfully, it appears things aren’t as bad as they seemed. Brad Biggs of the [Chicago Tribune](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/20/chicago-bears-mailbag-ryan-poles-brian-robinson/) provided an update. From what he understands, Monangai is not in any serious danger of missing much time. Whatever he’s dealing with won’t stop him from suiting up for opening day next month.
> The Bears do have some injured running backs, but they didn’t bring any in for a tryout Monday, the day after they ran for 171 yards in a 38-0 preseason victory over the Buffalo Bills. If the team felt there was a pressing need to add a back for depth in the preseason finale Friday night in Kansas City, you’d think they would have taken swift action. I don’t believe rookie Kyle Monangai, who was held out Sunday, **is dealing with anything serious and he could be back soon**.
D’Andre Swift is a good player, but he’s not built to carry a heavy workload. He’s always been at his best when part of a committee. You need at least another running back who can handle a decent amount of touches for that to work. The Bears believe Kyle Monangai has that capability. He flashed the potential in the preseason opener against Miami, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. While hopes remain high that Johnson will also be a big part of the equation, it has become difficult to trust his health. He’s missed multiple games in each of the past two seasons. If he isn’t up for it, Monangai will have to be. This update ensures the Bears will have a capable setup for Monday night against Minnesota.
