When you're overmatched as the Carolina Panthers may be on Sunday against the Chicago Bears—sometimes, you have to pick your battles. Stopping everything that head coach and play-caller Ben Johnson wants to do offensively simply isn't realistic given the schematic and talent mismatch on that side of the ball.
However, if the Panthers are going to defy the odds and their sorry Week 1 history to pull off a win, they have to find a way to make Chicago's offense one-dimensional. And the quickest way to do that is by shutting down the Bears' ground game, which is led by running back D'Andre Swift.
Last season, Swift led the Bears with 1,087 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Backup Kyle Monangai ranked second with 783 rushing yards to go with five scores on the ground. As a team, Chicago ranked third in the NFL with 144.5 rushing yards per game.
Containing that potent rushing attack will be easier said than done, but it's critical that the Panthers find a way to do so. While defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will direct the symphony from the sideline, it'll be Pro Bowl inside linebacker Devin Lloyd—who was signed to a three-year, $42 million pact this offseason—who shoulders most of the responsibilities on the field.
Lloyd will likely be the first defender to meet Swift or Monangai once they break past the line of scrimmage, and how well he tackles will play a big role in deciding who wins those matchups.

#swift #rushing #monangai

The Chicago Bears have signed running back D'Andre Swift to a three-year, $33.75 million contract extension, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Swift was entering the final year of a three-year, $24 million contract he signed with Chicago back in 2023. Now, the Bears' top running back is under contract through 2029.
Swift led a top-three rushing attack alongside Bears teammate Kyle Monangai last season, averaging over 140 yards per game. It was also a resurgence for Swift, who had a career year with 1,087 rushing yards (his second ever 1,000-yard season) and nine touchdowns in his first season with head coach Ben Johnson in Chicago.
More to come.
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#bears #back

In my day job, I am an English professor. This is relevant because in my hobby of writing about football, I frequently encounter people who forget that words mean things. ESPN just released a ranking of NFL positional groups that includes this statement: "you would be surprised by what you can learn sitting down and objectively grading and/or ranking each positional unit of all 32 teams."
This is probably true. The author of the article should try it some time. "Objectively," per Merriam-Webster, involves "evaluation with a basis in observable facts rather than feelings or opinions." He then proceeds to just rattle off a bunch of rank lists without actually providing any criteria for how the lists were composed. To be clear–this is an author writing to the standard of "trust me bro" and vibes, and it says a lot about the state of ESPN and sports journalism in general.
Because a detailed ***** ysis of everything wrong with the article would take framing and ***** ysis that exceeds what the low quality of its argumentation deserves, I am simply going to focus on three Bears-centric rankings that make me wonder whether or not the author was even bothering.
ESPN ranks Chicago's running back room as 24th in the NFL. In 2025, Chicago had the 4th-best rushing attack in the league by EPA/run, and it was one of only ten teams in the league that had positive value in EPA per run. Not only was Chicago third in total rushing yards, it was one of only three teams in the league with two running backs (Swift and Monangai) with at least 25 attempts in the top twenty in terms of success rate and EPA per rush. Those two were 12th and 21st in terms of yards per carry in terms for backs with at least 50 rush attempts, and 3rd and 19th in terms of total EPA.
Either would be the basis of a rushing attack above 24th in the league, and Chicago has both of them. By any objective standard, Chicago has a 1-2 punch at running back that is near the top of the league. If the concern is that Chicago's third running back is going to bring down the rest of the group, we would need to believe that 23 teams in the NFL have third-string running backs sufficient to make up the difference over this pairing.

#author

The Chicago Bears have some notable injuries during training camp, with the latest being running back Kyle Monangai, who suffered a right knee injury during Sunday's training camp practice.
According to reporters in attendance, Monangai got tangled up with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett during a non-padded practice, and both players went to the ground. Monangai's knee was examined on the field by trainer Andre Tucker before they both walked off the field, although Monangai was walking gingerly.
According to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, Monangai suffered a hyperextended knee and was reported to miss several weeks, putting his status for Week 1 in question. Ahead of Tuesday's practice, head coach Ben Johnson confirmed that Monangai is "week-to-week."
Monangai served as part of Chicago's 1-2 punch at running back alongside veteran D'Andre Swift. Monangai totaled 783 rushing yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and five touchdowns. While it took a month for the Bearsrun game to get going, they established themselves as the third best rushing unit in the NFL.
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#camp

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai appears to have avoided a serious knee injury but his status for Week 1 may be in jeopardy. According to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, Monangai suffered a hyperextended knee after getting tangled up with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett during Sunday's practice that will cause him to miss multiple weeks.
It's been a tough camp for the Bears when it comes to managing injuries. Key players such as safety Coby Bryant and wide receiver Luther Burden are out for multiple weeks at a minimum, while other players like tackle Braxton Jones and defensive end Montez Sweat have been banged up throughout camp. Monangai is the latest player to go down and, at a minimum, will miss the rest of training camp.
The hope is the Bears' second-year back will be good to go for the team's regular season opener against the Carolina Panthers, taking place in less than four weeks. Monangai is a critical aspect of the ground game, along with D'Andre Swift, and is being counted on to pick up where he left off last year. As a rookie, Monangai rushed for 783 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season.
With Monangai sidelined, running backs Roschon Johnson, Salvon Ahmed, Brittain Brown, and Coleman Bennett will see extended carries with a chance to earn a roster spot as training camp continues.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Latest injury update on Bears running back Kyle Monangai

#running

The Chicago Bears may be without running back Kyle Monangai for their season opener.
Monangai went down with a right knee injury in practice on Sunday, and will now miss several weeks with a hyperextended knee, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. A specific timeline there is not yet known.
While the outcome of the MRI is apparently being considered positive, it absolutely puts Monangai at risk of missing their regular season opener.
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Monangai got tangled up with Bears defensive tackle Gardy Jarrett near the sideline near the end of a run in practice on Sunday, according to the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs. The practice, taking place just a day after the team's 34-10 preseason win over the Cleveland Browns, was being held in just shorts and shells.

#season

Updating a previous report, Chicago Bears RB Kyle Monangai (knee) is believed to be "fine" after initial tests showed his knee to be structurally sound, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Monangai will still undergo an MRI.
SOURCE: ESPN - Adam Schefter
Huddle Up: Although Monangai isn't out of the woods just yet, the initial reports are encouraging. **** uming he avoided a serious, Monangai should be a flex option or RB3 as part of a two-headed monster in the Chicago backfield.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Latest on RB Kyle Monangai's injury

#updating

The Chicago Bears have been dealing with injuries throughout the first few weeks of training camp, and that continued on Sunday when running back Kyle Monangai suffered a knee injury.
According to reporters in attendance, Monangai got tangled up with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett during a non-padded practice, and both players went to the ground. Monangai's knee was examined on the field by trainer Andre Tucker before they both walked off the field, although Monangai was walking gingerly.
But it sounds like good news as ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Monangai is believed to be "fine" and "initial tests showed his knee to be structurally sound, but the team will do an MRI to confirm."
More to come.
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#grady #jarrett

Running back Kyle Monangai made an early exit from Bears practice on Sunday after hurting his knee, but the team's current belief is that he avoided a major injury.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that initial tests showed that the knee is structurally sound. He is set to have an MRI to confirm that is the case.
Monangai also dealt with a soft tissue injury early in training camp. He joined most of the team's regulars in sitting out their preseason opener.
Monangai ran 169 times for 783 yards and five touchdowns during his rookie season. He also caught 18 passes for 164 yards. He added 21 carries for 63 yards and five catches for 58 yards in the postseason.

#yards #five #running #kyle

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai suffered in a parent right knee injury during Sunday's training camp practice.
According to Sean Hammond, got tangled up with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and both players went to the ground in a non-padded practice.
Monangai limped off the field with a trainer. "Jarrett was visibly upset with himself."
More to come.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears RB Kyle Monangai suffered injury in Sunday's practice

#bears #monangai #according

There are a number of battles going on for the Chicago Bears during training camp and preseason, including running back depth behind D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
Assuming the Bears carry three running backs like last year's initial 53-man roster, there's one spot available between Roschon Johnson and Salvon Ahmed, among others. And the competition kicked into gear during Saturday's preseason opener against the Clelvenad Browns.
Johnson got the most carries out of any running back in the Bears' win against the Browns. He finished the game with eight rushes for 34 yards, including a 19-yard gain that set up Chicago's first touchdown of the preseason midway through the second quarter.
Ahmed did not get as many rushing opportunities, as he only had two rushing attempts, but he turned those attempts into 17 yards. However, he made a difference as a pass catcher with three receptions for 55 yards including a 49-yard touchdown to give the Bears a 17-10 lead at the beginning of the third quarter. Head coach Ben Johnson had a lot of praise for Ahmed after the game.
"Yeah, we feel good about those top two backs right now and where they're at. So, the battle for three, four, five, whatever that looks like, a lot comes down to special teams," Johnson said. "A lot comes down to how do you separate yourself from those top two guys? What's your skillset? How's it different? He got that slashing mentality where he's hard to bring down in ******* e, and that showed up again today. Showed up in practice really throughout camp so far. We'll continue to challenge him to find a defined role there on special teams where he can help us out the most there. And then pass protection, how do we continue to improve? When you're a little bit smaller as a running back… that's always what I'm looking for is, how well, how stout are we holding up to a blitzing linebacker as well."

#three #yards

The Chicago Bears are going to run plenty of 13-personnel in 2026. Head coach Ben Johnson was a big fan of those types of packages as the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, and he's now expected to use them in Chicago.
With Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet already in place, they surprised some with the selection of Sam Roush in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Why did they take a tight end so early when they already have two great ones? It's to run those 13-personnel packages, where quarterback Caleb Williams will be surrounded by three tight ends, one wide receiver, one running back, and five offensive linemen.
There are multiple reasons why Johnson wants to execute an offense with these types of plays in the mix. For one, it helps establish the run game. A lot of big bodies will be crowded up at the line of scrimmage as a result of this formation, creating gaps for guys like D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai to take advantage of.
With the run game established in the 13-personnel, that opens the door for play action, which would then allow Williams to make a play for his receiving options, which likely includes at least one of the tight ends. With Loveland and Kmet specifically, mismatches can arise when they are all out there at the same time.
What players would take the field in a 13-personnel? For one, Williams will be out there with one of his running backs. Swift is the ideal player for this, but Monangai is sure to get his fair share of carries as well. It will be a true team effort in that regard.

#take

The Chicago Bears are two weeks into training camp, and there's been plenty of interesting developments that have shaken up potential roster projections and depth charts.
With Chicago's first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns coming up Saturday, we'll get our first live-action glimpse at this current roster. Not only will it provide us a look at players entrenched in position battles and new rookie additions, but with it being the first preseason game, we'll see how the coaching staff views this current depth chart by who plays and who doesn't (or for how long). The starters aren't expected to see much, if any, action. But there are opportunities for bubble players to make a strong impression.
With two weeks of training camp in the books and the preseason on deck, here's our latest 53-man roster projection for the Bears, which features some difficult cuts.
No surprises here. The Bears carried three quarterbacks last season, so there's no reason to ******* ume that won't be the same in 2026. Case Keenum has served as another coach for Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent in that room. Williams is looking to build on his breakout sophomore campaign in Year 2 with Ben Johnson, and it doesn't hurt having a couple of solid backups in that room.
There's no question that D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are locks for the roster to run back Chicago's third-ranked rushing attack from last season. But the question is whether the Bears will carry three or four running backs. ******* uming it's three, like last year's initial roster, it's a battle between Roschon Johnson and Salvon Ahmed, who's been a standout player in training camp. Ahmed gets the nod for now, and he could continue to make a strong case for a roster spot.

#bears #training #preseason

The Chicago Bears were back at training camp on Wednesday for their seventh practice of the summer, and there was plenty to break down from Day 7, including the performance of quarterback Caleb Williams.
Williams is entering his third season following a breakout sophomore campaign where he set a franchise single-season passing record, led an NFL record seven fourth quarter comebacks (including the postseason) while leading Chicago to an 11-6 record, NFC North ****** le and playoff win. That was all in one season with head coach Ben Johnson. Now, all eyes are on Williams this summer as he continues to develop under Johnson and make a huge leap in Year 3.
We're taking a look at the good, the bad and the noteworthy with Williams from the seventh practice of Bears training camp:
Following a rough padded practice on Tuesday, Williams bounced back during a light, non-padded session. Williams was incredibly sharp during 7-on-7 work, where he completed 9-of-10 passes and five touchdowns, per CHGO. Those scores went to tight end Colston Loveland (2), receiver Luther Burden III and running back Kyle Monangai. But the best touchdown was caught by receiver Kaden Davis who made the best catch of the day with a one-handed, laid out grab, per Chris Kwiecinski. CHGO added that "Williams and Co. repeatedly took advantage of linebacker Devin Bush in short coverage on wide receivers Rome Odunze and Burden."
In what was a light, non-padded workout, there weren't any significant mistakes made by Williams on Wednesday. If you want to nitpick, he had an incompletion during 7-on-7 that prevented him from going a perfect 10-of-10.

#wednesday

The Chicago Bears were back at Halas Hall for their sixth practice of training camp on Tuesday, where they conducted their second straight padded practice.
The Bears kicked things up a notch on Day 6, where they had several live periods. There was plenty of physicality and intensity on display, which even led to the first scuffle of training camp between two rookies. Overall, it was a win for the defense and the offense had its share of struggles. There was some good injury news as running back Kyle Monangai returned to team drills as he overcomes a soft tissue injury. There were also some notable developments in several position battles.
Let's recap Day 6 of Bears training camp:
Rough showing for offense: The Bears passing game continues to show promise heading into the season, and wide receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland "continued their strong camp today," per Bear Report. But, overall, it was a rough showing for the offense. According to Dan Wiederer, this looked like the "sloppiest offensive showing of camp to date. Easily." Wiederer noted that there were a number of struggles, including: "Pre-snap penalties. Misfired passes. Dropped **** . Rickety screen plays. QB1's feet getting tangled coming out from center." On top of that, quarterback Caleb Williams was intercepted by cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. It appeared to be a miscommunication between Williams and tight end Colston Loveland. Greg Braggs added that the "defense looks a step ahead" and the offense "has looked off more than the other practices." He noted it was timing and energy seemed low, especially with live periods. The offense also fell short during the two-minute drill, where quarterback Caleb Williams and Burden were unable to connect on fourth down in the end zone.
Heavy focus on the run game, 13 personnel: Tuesday's padded practice featured heavy focus on the run game and 13 personnel, both of which will be key to Ben Johnson's offense being successful. Before practice, defensive coordinator made it clear there would be a heavy focus on 13 personnel, and Courtney Cronin noted that it was "clear the emphasis is gonna be running out of 13." According to Bear Report, they "went more run heavy today, by design. The run game should be strong once again. Working a lot of run concepts with the 12 and 13 personnel." They also noted that Chicago was mixing in receivers when they went 13 personnel.

#personnel #practice #game #williams

Where to watch Bears preseason games 2026: Full schedule, times, TV channels, live streams for Chicago originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Expectations will be high for the Chicago Bears entering 2026 after winning the NFC North a year ago.
Quarterback Caleb Williams enters his second season guiding Chicago's offense under the direction of head coach Ben Johnson alongside young skill position players like Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Colston Loveland, D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
Chicago's defense underwent a major secondary overhaul, bringing in a brand-new safety pairing of Coby Bryant and rookie Dillon Thieneman alongside linebacker Devin Bush.
While the unit led the NFL with 33 takeaways in 2025, it ranked near the bottom in points and yards allowed. Preseason snaps will show how quickly these new defensive additions can build chemistry before Week 1.

#bears #sporting #alongside #preferred