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How Bears Backs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai Must Turn It Up Most

Chicago Bears coaches like to say they're looking for big plays with the ground game, but how successful they really were in 2025 was the offense's "dirty little secret."
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams hands off to Kyle Monangai during running drills at Halas Hall in training camp.
Caleb Williams hands off to Kyle Monangai during running drills at Halas Hall in training camp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

While Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor was talking about the big-play aims of his team's running attack, running back Kyle Monangai was being realistic about what a running attack can really do.

The comments made Wednesday at Halas Hall about coach Ben Johnson's attack seemed in direct contrast.

"It’s no secret he loves to run the ball, and ... explosive plays," Monangai said of Johnson. "In that, there’s efficiency as well. There’s no 'he’s hunting them (big plays)' or every play is a big hitter. We know that’s not the nature of football and running the football well.

"We want to make big plays in the run game. That’s no secret. We’re going to rely on the guys up front, we’re going to follow their lead and when they’re there, we want to hit them. We don’t want to miss out on any opportunities. Just keep going forward and keep moving the sticks."

That was decidedly different than Taylor's lofty ambitions.

“I would tell you, I don't think Ben's ever mentioned the word efficiency," Taylor said. "We talk about explosive. I mean, we were trying to attack a defense.

"I think there's a perception a lot of people are going to run the ball, we're going to stay efficient, we're going to control the clock. We are looking to attack a defense. We're looking to attack fronts, to expose space, to create run lanes, to create explosives. I mean, we don't look at the run game as a way to stay on track. We look at the run game as a way to attack defenses and really be explosive and continue to just put our foot on the gas the entire game.”

Different views, same hopes

Taylor is the coach and Monangai is actually the player involved in taking the contact. So who's correct in this battle of running identities?

Taylor and Johnson might talk about big plays and the Bears did produce plenty of nice runs last year, but there is plenty yet for them to do to be better.

The dirty little secret about this Bears running game is they were not nearly as explosive as they'd like to have everyone think.

They did have 65 runs of 10 yards or longer and that's a nice number. When Johnson was coaching Detroit's offense in 2024, the Lions had 72. But the Bears' total included 14 by Caleb Williams on scrambles and the Lions didn't get half that many in three years from Jared Goff under Johnson. So this does diminish the explosiveness the Bears had somewhat.

The Bears were 11th in runs of 20 yards or longer, although they were third overall in rushing. However, they were one of only five teams in the NFL who failed to break a run longer than 39 yards.

How the Bears running game improves

The pressure may well be on the top two backs this year because of some rather startling numbers, and also because D'Andre Swift is in a contract year.

Last year the offensive line's superb blocking let the Bears lead the NFL in yards gained before contact at 3.1 according to Pro Football Reference. They were 11th in yards gained after contact, which isn't great considering how much room they had to run before contact. Even worse; they were 22nd in yards after contact per attempt at 1.7 yards despite having Monangai's straight-ahead power style of running.

Johnson's Lions teams had 19 runs of 30 yards or longer in three years. The Bears had two last year. Of course, the Bears don't have running back Jahmyr Gibbs and perhaps they'll do something to utilize Zavion Thomas' great speed in the backfield, but he isn't a running back. He's a receiver.

The Bears might like being explosive in the running game and have done it to a better extent than in the Matt Eberflus years, but they can definitely stand to upgrade.

Wait until next year

This past offseason the Bears focused on strengthening their offense more by drafting Thomas and signing Kalif Raymond, but they can only do so much with their personnel to create more explosive running plays.

To do it is going to require giving Johnson a top NFL back in terms of speed-power combination.

It's going to need to be an emphasis in the draft or free agency, but most likely the draft because of the lower cost.

There were too many other needs this past offseason as they sought to improve their speed on defense. Next offseason some sort of real backfield speed/power combination would be the perfect addition to help make the Bears running game explosive on the same level as Johnson's Detroit ground games.

The bottom line is both Taylor and Monangai were right. The aim is to be explosive, but Monangai is more realistic by saying moving the chains ultimately is the real goal ahead of breaking off long gainers.

Perhaps in a year, they will have drafted a running back who powers up the rushing attack the way Gibbs has for the Lions. The Bears were the only team with two runners in the top 25 last year, true enough. However, they had no one in the top 11.

A team that wants explosive runs can and must do much better.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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