Bears fans receive much needed update on second-year weapon and can finally breathe easier going into the second week of camp
Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai missed three days of practice last week and we finally got information on his status going into the second week of training camp.
The Chicago Bears kicked off training camp last week at Halas Hall with four non-padded practices from Wednesday-Saturday. One concerning trend started to develop late in the week when second-year running back Kyle Monangai was not spotted for three consecutive days without any update about his status.
On Monday, head coach Ben Johnson was finally asked about the state of the former seventh-round pick and said that Monangai was sidelined due to a soft-tissue injury.
“It’s really a status quo. We’re taking it day-by-day now,” Johnson told reporters ahead of practice. “We’re working through it. He’s working hard with his rehab and it should be on the shorter side.”
Kyle Monangai spotted back on the field ahead of Monday’s practice with pads on
Not long after Johnson’s comments were made, the Bears took to the field for practice on Monday with full pads. Monangai was among the players that were suited up for practice for the first time since Wednesday and was back participating in warmup drills.
That’s great news for the second-year back after so much uncertainty about his status last week. We will see how much work Monangai actually gets throughout Monday’s practice or if the Bears take things slow with his return.
The entire running back room will be worth watching as training camp continues to progress
With Monangai sidelined last week, veteran newcomer Salvon Ahmed stepped up as the RB2 behind D’Andre Swift and even had a long gain during Friday’s practice. Ahmed showed the juice is still in the tank and used that opportunity to make an early case for the RB3 job against Roschon Johnson, Brittain Brown, and Coleman Bennett.
As we get closer to joint practices and the start of the preseason, the running back room will be worth watching closely behind Swift after what Johnson said on Monday.
“[Swift] might be a guy that we just keep an eye on as we go through camp,” Johnson said. “We need him fresh and ready to go for 17 plus games this year. That’s really what we’re most concerned about.”
That comment hints plenty of opportunities will be in store for Monangai, Ahmed, Johnson, Brown, and Bennett throughout the rest of camp and once we get into preseason action. We’ll see who takes advantage of those opportunities and how the rest of this backfield comes together.
