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Kyle Monangai’s season opener status just got a lot murkier.
The Bears running back went down with a right knee injury during Sunday’s practice, and now he’s facing several weeks on the sideline with what’s being called a hyperextended knee. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler broke the news, though nobody’s put an exact timeline on his return just yet.
Here’s the silver lining, though: the MRI results are apparently coming back positive.
That’s the good news. The bad news? Monangai’s recovery timeline puts him squarely at risk of missing Chicago’s regular-season opener against Carolina.
So how did this happen? According to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, Monangai got tangled up with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett near the sideline, right at the tail end of a run. This wasn’t some intense, physical practice either – the Bears were in shorts and shells, just a day removed from a 34-10 preseason win over Cleveland.
Biggs described it as a “freak incident.” Monangai stayed down for a few minutes before slowly making his way into the practice facility on his own.
What This Means for Chicago’s Backfield
The Bears drafted Monangai in the seventh round back in 2025 out of Rutgers, and he immediately made an impact. As a rookie, he racked up 783 yards and five touchdowns, playing alongside starter D’Andre Swift for most of the season.
That duo turned into one of the league’s best rushing tandems. Chicago finished with the third-best rushing offense in the NFL last season, averaging 144.5 yards per game on the ground – trailing only Buffalo and Baltimore, two teams built around explosive run games.
The Bears rode that ground attack all the way to an 11-6 record and an NFC North title. From there, they went on their deepest playoff run since 2010.
Now Chicago opens its season on Sept. 13 against the Panthers in Charlotte. If Monangai’s knee doesn’t cooperate over the next month, the Bears could be walking into that game without their proven second option in the backfield – the same player who helped carry one of the league’s most productive rushing attacks a year ago.
