The Chicago Bears fielded one of the league’s top rushing attacks in the first season under head coach Ben Johnson – a testament to the scheme, offensive line, and the players leading the charge in the backfield.

Chicago’s offense rushed for 2,456 yards during the 2025-26 season, a number that led the NFC conference and ranked 10th in franchise history.

The two players that deserve a bulk of the credit for that is the team’s RB duo of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, the only RB duo in the NFL to each rush for 750+ yards. So, the question is, was it enough to be viewed as the league’s top RB duo?

Chicago Bears RBs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai ranked as the second best RB duo in the league

Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton set out to answer that question by doing the deep dive on the RB tandems for all 32 teams. Swift and Monangai placed second on the rankings and actually was ranked behind another NFC duo.

The top spot instead went to Los Angeles Rams duo Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. At first, Chicago fans might be quick to question that. But, the stats do favor LA’s duo by a slight margin.

Players	Games Played	Rushing Yds	Average Per Carry	Yards Per Touch	Total TDs
Swift/ Monangai	33	1,870	4.84	5.25	15
Williams/Corum	34	1,998	4.95	5.17	19

Bears RBs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai were ranked as the 2nd best RB duo in the NFL by @brgridiron 🔥

👀 pic.twitter.com/6ooUOP5tTC

— Bearsszn (@bearszn) June 8, 2026

There were a few factors that held Chicago back from the top spot. First, Swift missed one game and was limited for a few others due to a groin injury. Monangai also took a few weeks to get rolling because he was a rookie and needed to earn trust from the staff to prove that he had a firm grasp on the complicated scheme.

Moton also noted Monangai can “make strides as a pass catcher” and I’d say the same can go for Swift. However, the limited receiving production was the same criticism Moton had for both LA backs as well. It’s a really close argument to debate.

Bears are not expecting any drop-off with Swift and Monangai in the run game

When projecting how Chicago’s duo could do in 2026, it’s not hard to see how this tandem can take the throne this time next year. Swift took the time last week speaking with the media to explain why him and Monangai can be so dangerous together.

“There’s no drop-off at all,” Swift said. “He’s able to do everything. I’m able to do everything. It’s tough on defenses when I make something happen, his number gets called, he makes something happen, like what are you going to do? Especially with the O-line we have and how those guys are coached and the way Ben’s system is, it’s a lot for a defense to account for four quarters.”

Swift brought up a good point in there that plays a massive role in a RB’s success, the offensive line. The Bears had one of the league’s best units up-front but will have two new starters this season. That might be a concern for some, but not head coach Ben Johnson.

“We had several new offensive linemen last year at this time as well,” Johnson said. “I think that’s one of the bigger challenges in our sport is getting five guys to play as one. That’s regardless of how long they’ve been together. I think we got a couple of the best offensive line coaches in the business running that operation, a lot of experience and a lot of wealth of knowledge that help make that transition a little better. . .

“It is a race. It’s a race for us to get to know each other a little bit more. You saw a year ago, it took us a minute before that run game started to get going and clicking. There is a challenge that comes along with that.”

Johnson added new RBs coach Eric Studesville is another veteran mind that can help lead the run game and add more schematically.

All signs point toward Chicago’s run game being just as lethal in 2026, if not even more dangerous. Which bodes well for Swift and Monangai’s chances of stealing that top RB duo spot.