NFL Insider Shares When to Expect Bears RB Kyle Monangai to Return

The Chicago Bears turned their running game into a dynamic weapon last year. 

They already had D'Andre Swift on the roster, but head coach Ben Johnson still needed another piece for his backfield. 

General Manager Ryan Poles took a gamble, selecting Kyle Monangai in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Rutgers. Monangai wasn't expected to have a big role as a rookie, especially as a late-round pick. 

Monangai proved everyone wrong. 

It was a slow start for the Bears' running game last year, but then Swift and Monangai turned things around. Swift and Monangai helped the Bears finish with a top-five rushing offense. 

Swift rushed for over 1,000 yards this season, while Monangai had 783 rushing yards as a rookie.  

Unfortunately, the Bears have been missing a key piece of their backfield for the last few weeks. Monangai has been out since Week 4 with a thumb/toe injury. He was ruled out for Thursday night's game against the New England Patriots. 

In four games played, Monangai has 324 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Without him in the lineup, the Bears' rushing attack hasn't been the same. 

After being ruled out for another week, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport shared when we can expect to see Monangai back in the lineup again. 

Rapoport said that Monangai is dealing with a turf toe injury, and it was believed that he'd be out for 3-4 weeks. This is the third game he's been out, so Rapoport believes his return is on the horizon. 

"Kyle Monangai, little bit of a different story," Rapoport said. "Really has been a key cog in the Chicago Bears running attack. He is going to be out tonight. Dealing with a thumb and toe injury. It's really the toe injury that's more of a thing. If it was just the thumb, he'd be playing. It is turf toe. It was believed to be maybe three or four weeks. This is the third game for Kyle Monangai, so he is out, but potentially, he is nearing a return." 

In Monangai's absence, the Bears have used Swift and reserve running back Roschon Johnson. Johnson actually led the team with 51 rushing yards in the last game against the Atlanta Falcons. 

He found the end zone once for a score and also had 34 receiving yards. 

Johnson made a selfless play late in the game, choosing not to score and instead sliding after picking up the first down to help the Bears secure the 31-23 win. 

It's great that Johnson was able to come in and help, but at the end of the day, the Bears haven't been able to run the ball as well with Monangai injured. In the last two games, the Bears have finished with under 100 rushing yards as a team. 

For reference, they had over 100 yards on the ground in their first four games with Monangai in the lineup. 

The Bears are doing enough to win games without Monangai available but will eventually need him back from injury. The Bears can't expect Caleb Williams can't pass the ball 40 times per game every week. 

Hopefully, Monangai is back in the lineup sooner rather than later.