Welcome to the 2026 Chicago Bears Season Preview on Bears By 7, a player-by-player look at the team's roster and their chances.

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I’m not breaking any new ground here, but it’s a great thing when a Bears rookie running back gets his name mentioned in the same breath as Walter Payton.

That’s exactly what Kyle Monangai earned in Week 9. Getting his only start of the season with D’Andre Swift inactive, Monangai racked up 176 yards on 26 carries in the thrilling last-minute win over the Bengals. He and Sweetness are the only Bears running backs to rush for that many yards on that many carries.

Monangai’s total of 176 was also the second-highest by a Bears rookie running back, trailing only the 188 that Anthony Thomas also posted against the Bengals in 2001.

A 233rd overall pick expected to be a special teamer or practice squadder, Monangai ended up being the Bears’ biggest late-round steal since Braxton Jones and might’ve been the biggest steal in the entire seventh round. Paired with Swift for most of the year, he finished the season with 783 rushing yards and five touchdowns on an impressive 4.6 yards per carry.

Two more Payton mentions: Monangai scored rushing touchdowns in three straight home games, the first Bears rookie to do that since Payton in 1975.

And in Week 13 at Philadelphia, he and Swift each cleared 100 yards, the first Bears duo to do it since Payton and Matt Suhey in 1985.

Monangai’s usage dropped a little down the stretch and he didn’t contribute much during either playoff game. Still, his rookie season won him plenty of respect in the Bears locker room and has fans looking forward to what he can do in Year 2.

Monangai is seemingly cemented as RB2 as the roster currently stands and the real truth is that he’s more 1B to Swift’s 1A.

Can that change in 2026?