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There is tons of hope surrounding the Chicago Bears heading into 2025 despite a disastrous 2024 season that saw them fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus during the season. However, Ben Johnson is in as the lead man and he figures to help the offense take multiple steps forward after his very successful stint with the Detroit Lions.
While Johnson, Caleb Williams and the other stars on the Bears will have a big impact on how the season goes in Chicago this year, there are still some unsung players battling for spots in the starting lineup during training camp as the preseason gets closer.
Ahead of Chicago’s preseason opener on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, it released its initial unofficial depth chart after the first few weeks of training camp. Most of the depth chart was status quo and went as expected, but there was one big surprise that stuck out.
One staple of the Ben Johnson era in Detroit was the running game, which was one of the best in the NFL thanks to the one-two punch of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The speed and quickness of Gibbs combined with the downhill style and physicality of Montgomery made it very difficult for defenses to handle them on the ground, and now Johnson is looking to recreate that with the Bears this season and beyond.
There is one problem with that. The Bears don’t have anybody nearly as good as either Gibbs or Montgomery to run the football this season, much less both of them. D’Andre Swift is the starter coming into the season in his second year in the Windy City. The Bears also return Roschon Johnson, who is listed as the backup.
Those two spots come as no surprise. However, rookie running back Kyle Monangai has been impressive in training camp, even earning the praise of Johnson. Therefore, it came as a bit of a shock when Monangai showed up as the fifth-string running back on the first depth chart.
“I’ve been very pleased with where he’s at,” Johnson said about Monangai’s camp, per Scott Blair of Marquee Sports Network. “I think he’s a guy that we’re going to be able to trust this fall.”
Longtime Seattle Seahawks special-teamer Travis Homer is listed as the No. 3 ballcarrier while second-year back Ian Wheeler, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve, is listed as the fourth-string.
Still, Monangai has more pedigree as a running back than both Homer and Wheeler and should be able to work his way into that No. 3 spot with a strong showing in the preseason. He carried a limited Rutgers offense on his back during his college years, rushing for over 2,500 yards and 21 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He also racked up 270 touches to lead the Big Ten in 2024, so he is used to having a heavy workload on his shoulders.
While Monangai’s...
