Bears Announce More Concerning Kyle Monangai News Before Seahawks Game

Getty

The Chicago Bears announce another concerning development involving Kyle Monangai ahead of their game against the Seattle Seahawks. Here's the latest update.

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai was listed as a non-participant in practice on Thursday, even though the Bears did not actually hold a practice, leaving his turf toe in question with Monday night’s game at Seattle looming.

The Bears took the day off with the extra day to prepare for a Monday Night Football game in Seattle, so Monangai’s designation is characterized as an estimate, but it keeps the NFL’s top rushing team waiting on its No. 2 back while the ground game sits in a three-week slump.

Monangai has missed three straight games, and Monday marks four weeks since he was hurt. His odds of playing are better than in past weeks, according to ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler. But he was also absent from the open portions of practice Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Bears promoted Zavier Scott from the practice squad. Scott has logged 46 special teams snaps and no offensive ones.

Monangai, 24, grew up in Roseland, New Jersey, and played at Don Bosco Prep before Rutgers. He rushed for 3,221 yards there, second in school history behind Ray Rice, and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024. Chicago selected the 5-foot-8, 207-pounder in the seventh round, 233rd overall, in 2025. He ran for 783 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie.

Read More From Heavy

Cole Kmet Update: Why Bears $50 Million TE Won’t Catch Another Pass in 2026

Kyle Monangai’s Turf Toe Timeline

Monangai got hurt in the Oct. 4 win over the New York Jets, when he carried 30 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He saw a specialist and wore a boot after the diagnosis.

So is the length of his absence normal for a turf toe injury?

A partial tear generally keeps players out two to eight weeks, and because the big toe bears weight on every push-off, the injury lingers. Players with a Grade 2 sprain typically lose two to four weeks, while complete tears cost four to six weeks or more, according to a 2023 medical review. Four weeks fits comfortably inside those windows.

Chicago also avoided injured reserve, which would have forced a four-game absence.

“It remains a week-to-week situation, but as far as I know, he’s continuing to trend in the right direction,” coach Ben Johnson said Oct. 16, as quoted by Sports Illustrated. The Monday night kickoff gives him one extra day to recover.

Read More From Heavy

Bears Get Encouraging Kyle Monangai Injury News Before Seahawks Game

How Kyle Monangai Could Help Bears Against Seahawks

In the four games Monangai played, the Bears ran for 785 yards, 196 per game, at 4.9 yards a carry. Since he went down, they have gained 295 yards over three games. D’Andre Swift carried 22 times for 78 yards against the New England Patriots and has not topped 100 yards since the opener. Chicago still leads the league at 154.3 yards per game.

Monangai ran for 324 yards and three touchdowns through four games, and 225 of those yards came after contact. That physical style pairs with Swift’s speed, giving Johnson two distinct runners to rotate.

Seattle just allowed Kansas City 50 rushing yards in a 20-3 win, 14 of them from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III, who led the league with 665 rushing yards through five games, managed a season-low 36 yards on 14 carries and never broke a run of 10 yards. The Seahawks had also gone 35 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher.

“We put on a clinic,” Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori said, as quoted by NFL.com.

“The front seven is one of the best in the league,” Swift said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “We’ve got our work cut out for ourselves.”

The Bears’ Friday injury report will show whether Monangai can help out.