When you think about the Chicago Bears, you think about Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and all of the explosive weapons that Chicago has to rely on in the passing game. However, that isn’t where the Bears buttered their bread in 2025.
The Bears had one of the best running games in all of football last season, and that is what made them one of the most formidable offenses in the NFC near the end of the season. Chicago did that with a pretty unheralded duo at running back, as veteran D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai split duties in the backfield.
Monangai emerged as a very productive player for Johnson and company in his first season despite being selected in the seventh round in 2025. Now, heading into his second season, he is once again expected to be a key piece of an offense that has very high expectations this season.
On Wednesday at training camp, Monangai talked about his improvement in year two, and he sounded a lot like his head coach, via Dan Wiederer of The Athletic.
“The minor details are the difference between winning or losing a play,” Monangai said. “Execution is key and details are key to execution. That’s everything in our offense. Everybody’s part matters.”
Johnson is famous for being into the minute details of the running game, and that is why he has coached some of the most efficient ground attacks in the NFL in recent years with both the Detroit Lions and the Bears.
The Rutgers product also talked about the complexity of the running game on Wednesday.
“Our running game is not bland,” Monangai added. “I think everyone knows that. I think if you ask D-coordinators they’ll tell you that Ben Johnson’s run game is not bland and he’s going to come at you in different ways.
“We try to make things look similar and attack you in whatever way we see a weakness.”
Williams may determine the Bears’ ceiling with his improvement in 2026, but Monangai and the running game will have a say in what the floor looks like.
When you think about the Chicago Bears, you think about Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and all of the explosive weapons that Chicago has to rely on in the passing game. However, that isn’t where the Bears buttered their bread in 2025. The Bears had one of the best running games in all of football last season, and that is what made them one of the most formidable offenses in the NFC near the end of the season.