As the Chicago Bears wrapped up their most anticipated practice of the year at Soldier Field's "Family Fest," there were certainly some standout moments fans would be talking about.
One player, in particular, caught the attention of both fans and media. After the game, head coach Ben Johnson was asked about seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai and the running back's strong showing.
“I think he’s a guy that we’re going to be able to trust this fall," Johnson told the media.
We haven't heard a lot of concrete answers when it comes to the Bears' running back plans, but with this one response, Johnson insinuated quite a bit.
Is Kyle Monangai climbing the Bears' depth chart?
The only thing we have known about the Bears' running back plans, thus far, is that it appears D'Andre Swift is still the starter. Other than Swift's role, it's kind of been more or less up in the air. But, these comments from Johnson are pretty telling about Monangai.
Even though he was just a seventh rounder, Monangai was still the first running back drafted by Johnson in Chicago. That counts for something and shouldn't be overlooked. Not to mention, Monangai's collegiate career was a strong one.
The former Rutgers star led the Big Ten in carries last year after leading the conference in rushing yards the season prior. He is no stranger to carrying the load, and quite literally. Monangai was a difficult tackle coming out of college and can absolutely be the David Montgomery type within Chicago's offense.
The response from Johnson was also a welcomed one from part of the fan base who feels they have seen enough from Swift. Now, that's not to say that Swift is a bad player or doesn't deserve the touches. But, we've seen a lot of evidence, by now, that says Swift is a one-trick pony.
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Swift is better in space and has a hard time breaking tackles if his blocking isn't near-perfect. Monangai, on the other hand, holds the opposite running style. Maybe, between the two of them, the Bears have their (very light) version of Detroit's Sonic and Knuckles.
