Bears position coach sets a specific stat goal that one rookie player is more than capable of reaching based on his recent performances
Another target number on offense.
Detailed is the one word that comes to mind when talking about the Chicago Bears offense under new head coach Ben Johnson and the rest of the staff on that side of the ball, in more ways than one.
For starters, being all the details is a requirement the coaches are expecting to see out of all their players. That includes on and off the field. These players are being treated like actual professionals aiming to build a championship culture for a team that has long forgotten what that looks like.
When it comes to producing in the regular season, the coaches are being extremely detailed in the numbers they are expecting out of their players as well.
For example, head coach Ben Johnson put a statistical goal on quarterback Caleb Williams to complete at least 70% of his passes and throw for 4,000+ passing yards this season. And now other offensive players are starting to get assigned specific milestones as well.
While speaking with the media briefly on Wednesday, running backs coach Eric Bieniemy was asked about rookie running back Kyle Monangai and if he has enough speed as a player. In his response, Bieniemy attached a number to what he’s looking to see out of his game in 2025.
“I’ll say this: he’s 4-fast enough. That’s all that matters,” Bieniemy explained. “As long as he’s finding us 4.5 (yards) per carry, that’s fast enough. Anything after that is a bonus, and that’s a great deal.”
That average is a great deal to accomplish, but something Monangai is used to achieving on the field. During his career at Rutgers, Monangai averaged 5.0+ yard per carry in each of his last two seasons thanks to a hard-nosed running style.
After one game in the NFL, that level of efficiency continued to show up in his game. Against the Miami Dolphins in the preseason opener, Monangai averaged 5.0 yards per carry while breaking off defenders and picking up extra yards.
Monangai isn’t the only back in Chicago the coaches placed that expectation on. Earlier in the spring, Bieniemy mentioned wanting D’Andre Swift to find 4.5 yards/carry between the tackles while still providing a home run threat to the unit.
Having not one, but two, backs accomplish such a feat in the same season is a tall task, but one that’s historically possible in a Ben Johnson offense. In 2023, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery each averaged 4.5+ yards/carry with Johnson calling plays.
If the Bears can have multiple backs average 4.5+ yards/carry this upcoming season, things will open up a lot more and become a whole lot easier for this entire unit.
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There’s no handouts on this team.
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