Bears' Dynamic RB Duo of D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai Confirmed as One of NFL's Best

The Bears' RB duo of D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai were ranked among the best in the NFL, and they could move up even higher before 2026 starts.

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Not that we really needed it, but we got more confirmation that the Chicago Bears have one of the best running back duos in the NFL with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.

Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame ranked the top five running back duos going into the 2026 NFL season and placed the combination of Swift and Monangai at No. 4 on the list.

Ranked ahead of Swift and Monangai, from No. 3 to No. 1, were the New Orleans Saints' duo of Alvin Kamara and Travis Etienne, the Pittsburgh Steelers' duo of Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren, and the Los Angeles Rams' twosome of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.

"Chicago ran its way to the NFC North title with an 11–6 record behind Swift and Monangai, with the former rushing for 1,087 yards while the latter, a seventh-round rookie, picked up 783 yards," Verderame said of the Bears duo.

"No back who ranked second in rushing yards on his own team had more than Monangai," he added.

Monangai was especially impressive last season. He nearly tallied 1,000 yards from scrimmage and his production is made more impressive by the fact that he didn't start having a sizeable workload until Week 7.

Of the backs who were part of the duos ranked ahead of Swift and Monangai, only Etienne and Williams had more rushing yards than Swift.

There is the potential for Swift and Monangai to move up one more spot. That will happen if the Saints part ways with Kamara, who remains uncertain to stick with New Orleans in 2026.

Regardless, sitting in the No. 4 spot is an impressive achievement for the Bears' running backs, and there is the potential for them to climb even higher after this coming season.

As Verderame notes, if Caleb Williams can improve as a passer, Swift and Monangai may have even more space to operate and that could lead to increased production for both.