Bears rookie RB Kyle Monangai excelled as the No. 2 RB against the Saints. He went 13-81-1 on the ground and 2-13-0 through the air. Starting RB D’Andre Swift went 19-124-1 on the ground and 1-14-0 through the air. With HC Ben Johnson’s history of using two backs in Detroit, Monangai could become the David Montgomery to Swift’s Jahmyr Gibbs in terms of usage (though neither is as talented as their Lions’ counterparts).
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Monangai was only a seventh-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, but he had two straight 1,200 yard rushing seasons for Rutgers heading into the draft. When RB Roschon Johnson missed time with an injury, Monangai appeared to pass him on the depth chart. This game sealed it.
Johnson only had one run for 11 yards, so Monangai is clearly ahead of him on the depth chart. Monangai had 16 RB opportunities compared to 20 from Swift and only one from Johnson.
The Bears leaned heavily on the run only throwing the ball 26 times in the game. Caleb Williams 172 yards and an interception were disappointing, but the offense working through the run game appears to be the future of the Bears for the rest of the season.
The Bears have a soft run schedule moving forward against the Ravens, Bengals and Giants over the next three weeks. All of those are positive match-ups. Start Swift with confidence and have Monangai as an option with bye weeks hitting hard next week.