Kyle Monangai on Injury Watch After Report from Bears Practice

Injuries continue to plague the Chicago Bears as they prepare for a tough Week 3 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. First Caleb Williams' hamstring injury knocked him out of Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings and, according to head coach Ben Johnson, will likely keep him sidelined for some time. Then Tyson Bagent entered the concussion protocol on Tuesday. Now, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has reported that Kyle Monangai was "not present during the portion of Bears practice open to the media".

Kyle Monangai has been carrying the Bears' run game to start the season

It's hard to overstate Monangai's importance to Chicago's offense so far in 2026. It's only been two games, but he's currently averaging 7.3 yards per carry and ran in the longest touchdown of his NFL career in Week 1, a 61-yard scamper in the third quarter that broke the Carolina Panthers' back. On Sunday, against the stout Minnesota defense and playing on a soggy, rain-soaked field, Monangai posted 4.7 yards per carry; D'Andre Swift, who is fresh off a three-year contract extension with the Bears, struggled mightily.

That's no slight on Swift, who himself is having a good start to the season. It just illustrates the difference in style between the two backs. Monangai is a hard-charging, hard-hitting running back who likes to plow through and over defenders. He's the guy you want to give the ball when it's first-and-goal at the one yard line, which, had the Bears done so on Sunday, would have helped Ben Johnson avoid a baffling decision that wound up costing the Bears the game.

The Bottom Line

It's not time for Bears fans to panic yet when it comes to Monangai's availability for next Monday, though this is a situation they'll want to monitor. As Briggs pointed out in his tweet, Monangai did have a brief visit to the blue medical tent in Sunday's game, though nothing ever came of that. Hopefully they're just being cautious with an exciting young player who's already been battling a couple of different injuries since the start of training camp.

If Monangai is unable to go against the Eagles, or if he's forced to be on a snap count, the Bears will likely turn to Roschon Johnson to pick up some of the slack in the running game. I would say that they could also consider airing the ball out more than they usually do, but with 14-year veteran Case Keenum their likely starter for Week 3, that sounds inadvisable.

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