Kyle Monangai Injury Update From Ben Johnson Confirms Bears RB's Week 5 Status

We have been monitoring the status of Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai all week.

Monangai was on the injury report to begin the week with toe and thumb issues and did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday.

Head coach Ben Johnson initially said there was no concern about Monangai's thumb, but at the time we didn't know the running back had a toe issue, also.

On Friday before practice, Johnson revealed that Monangai will not play in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers, according to Sean Hammond of The Chicago Tribune, who added that Monangai is wearing a walking boot.

"We'll see how long that injury sidelines him," Johnson said.

What is Kyle Monangai's injury?

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai. — Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) runs the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was reported on Thursday that Monangai is dealing with a turf toe that has the potential to sideline him multiple weeks.

"Bears RB Kyle Monangai is dealing with a turf toe injury, placing uncertainty around his availability over the next 1-2 weeks, per sources, though he’s hoping to play through it and the team/player are still managing the situation," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said.

ESPN's Courtney Cronin confirmed Monangai's week-to-week status but said he is not a candidate for injured reserve, so the expectation is he won't be out longer than three weeks.

Monangai isn't the only injury concern the Bears have at running back, as D'Andre Swift is dealing with hip and knee injuries. However, Swift did get back to practice on Thursday after no participation Wednesday, so he's trending in the right direction.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Swift is expected to play, so that's good news for Chicago's ailing backfield.

"D'Andre Swift, good news here, did return to practice yesterday. He's dealing with a hip injury and a knee injury that has been lingering. The belief is that he should be able to go."

How Bears will replace Kyle Monangai

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson. — Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson (23) reacts after gaining a first down against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Monangai ruled out, Roschon Johnson will be the next man up to get some of his carries. We'd also expect Swift to get more work for Chicago on top of his typical workload.

The Bears will have to call someone up from the practice squad, and the choice will be between Salvon Ahmed, who has been in Chicago since the offseason, and Zavier Scott, who was added to the Bears' practice squad after cutdown day.

We suspect Ahmed will be the one who gets the elevation, and he could see some work behind Swift, also, after he proved to be a more effective runner than Johnson during the offseason.

That said, Johnson is likely to be more involved than Ahmed, as he better fits the profile of the power back Johnson wants to combine with Swift.

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