Chicago Bears’ Eric Bieniemy earns legendary endorsement from rookie running back

It isn’t often a seventh-round pick has an opportunity to make a difference as a rookie. However, running back Kyle Monangai has an opportunity to be an outlier for the Chicago Bears in 2025.

The Bears were heavily connected to many of the top running backs in the 2025 class. However, their opportunity never came until the seventh. Because of that, Chicago’s need at the position remain. That is unless, Monangai proves to be a massive steal based on his draft value.

While the Bears won’t get overzealous, they’re fully intrigued by Monangai’s potential. As he begins his NFL career, the rookie will work closely with new Chicago running backs coach Eric Bieniemy. Monangai couldn’t be more excited, as he believes Bieniemy will only draw the best out of him, via Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.

“He’s a legend, No. 1, to begin with, just knowing his history, the people he’s coached, the teams he’s been a part of,” Monangai said. “And he’s really insightful, a great coach, gets me ready for practice every day. I’m excited for the future of what he’s going to be able to teach me, and being able to work with him.”

Kyle Monangai trying to prove himself to Chicago Bears

Monangai used rookie minicamp as an opportunity to prove himself as a playmaker. He didn’t catch many passes in college, 38 to be exact. But Monangai knows if he can be a dual threat out of the backfield, he’ll have a more realistic shot of getting on the field.

“I didn’t get as many opportunities to do it in college,” he said. “I wish I could’ve, but my role on the team wasn’t that. So whatever my role is going to be that Coach Johnson wants to put me in, Coach Doyle wants to put me in, if I can showcase that, then I’ll showcase that. But it’s definitely something that I work on each day.”

While he wasn’t much of a pass catcher during his five years at Rutgers, Monangai proved to be a dominant runner. Over 52 games total, he ran for 3,222 yards and 27 touchdowns. Monangai led the Big Ten in rushing in 2023 (1,262) before setting new career-highs in yards (1,279) and touchdowns (13) in 2024. He was named First-team All-Big Ten.

Monangai’s size (5-foot-8, 211 lbs) and lack of elite speed are why the running back fell to the seventh-round. However, he succeed at Rutgers due to his ability to fit between holes and find a second gear once in open space. Monangai won’t have a sudden growth spurt and he’ll need quite a bit of seasoning in an NFL program. But the Bears are hopeful their seventh-rounder is different than the countless picks that came before him.

If Bieniemy’s history lives up to itself, the running back will have a key voice in his corner. The running backs coach won a pair of Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs. Furthermore, he stole the show at rookie minicamp due to his intense fire. Overall, Monangai will need to use Bieniemy’s tutelage to the maximum and soak up everything he can as a rookie.

After seeing the Bears finish the 2024 campaign ranked 25th in rushing, Ben Johnson wants to see stark improvement. Monangai won’t make Chicago world beaters overnight. But with the help of Bieniemy, he can become a key contributor in the Bears backfield sooner rather than later.