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Chicago Bears' rookie running back dubbed 'developmental player' as 2025 season nears

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated May 19, 2025 2:11 PM ET

The Chicago Bears didn't do much to address their lackluster running back room during the 2025 NFL offseason. Headlined by D'Andre Swift, who underwhelmed in his first season as a Bear, and Roschon Johnson, who's underwhelmed since joining Chicago as a fourth-round pick in 2023, running back was expected to be a priority for GM Ryan Poles in the NFL Draft.

But not all things go according to plan. The Bears did attempt to trade up in the second round for Ohio State star TreVeyon Henderson, but the New England Patriots opted to keep the pick instead and select Henderson themselves.

That left Chicago on the outside looking in with the 2025 class of early-round running backs. And while Bears fans were left disappointed that coach Ben Johnson didn't get another big-ticket offensive weapon to deploy, Chicago didn't leave the 2025 draft with nothing.

Enter seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai (Rutgers), who actually outproduced Henderson in the Big 10 over the last two seasons.

Monangai will be given as fair a chance to make an impact as any seventh-round pick could ask for as a rookie. In fact, his draft slotting is irrelevant now. All that matters is how he performs in offseason team activities, training camp, and the preseason. If he thrives? He could legitimately be a threat to Swift's RB1 role.

Still, as a seventh-rounder, not all analysts are high on his 2025 outlook.

ESPN's Mike Clay was charged with tiering this year's rookie class of running backs, and he added Monangai to the group of first-year runners viewed as developmental and depth players.

"Monangai is only 5-foot-8 and didn't show well at the combine," Clay wrote. "In Rutgers' middling offense, his 1.5 yards before contact per run over 47 games was the lowest in the class -- but his average yards after contact (3.3) was solid. He managed more than 1,200 rushing yards in each of his final two college seasons. Monangai will open his career behind D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson and perhaps also Travis Homer."

What Clay's data confirms is that Monangai produced at a high level even with an underwhelming offensive line at Rutgers. It sounds a lot like what the Bears didn't have from Swift in 2024, who struggled without solid blocking in front of him. With Chicago's offseason overhaul upfront, there's a chance Swift will rebound and be the field-flipper the Bears envisioned when they signed him to a three-year, $24 million deal.

But if he fails, Monangai will have a bigger opportunity to become 'the guy' than Clay is suggesting. He wasn't drafted to be a developmental player; he's proven against top competition in college that he can carry the load and succeed. The next few months will go a long way in determining whether his traits can translate into the same success in the NFL, but don't get his addition confused: he's in Chicago to compete for an immediate role.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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