The Chicago Bears have a new injury concern to monitor with rookie running back Kyle Monangai coming off his breakout game in Week 9’s victory.
The Bears added Mongangai to the injury report on Wednesday after limiting him with a new ankle injury in their first practice for Week 10’s game with the New York Giants.
Monangai rushed 26 times for 176 yards and caught three passes for another 22 yards in Sunday’s 49-42 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, taking full advantage of his No. 1 back workload in the absence of veteran starter D’Andre Swift, who has a groin injury.
He played through the Bears’ final drive and appeared to finish without any issues.
With Monangai now on the injury report, Travis Homer is the only Bears running back without an injury concern heading into Week 10’s matchup with the Giants. Swift and backup Roschon Johnson (back) are also still on the report; although, both returned to practice as limited participants on Wednesday after sitting out Week 9’s victory.
The Bears’ three injured running backs will have two more practices to work through their injuries before the team must make injury designations on its final injury report.
The Bears (5-3) will host the Giants (2-7) at Soldier Field at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Bears Could Elevate Brittain Brown Again in Week 10
While the Bears have two more days to clear the core members of their backfield for Sunday’s next game, they will likely elevate Brittain Brown from the practice squad again in Week 10 if they have availability concerns with any of the other three backs.
The Bears elevated Brown — who joined them in the preseason — for the first time this season against the Bengals and saw him make the most of his limited carries behind the highly effective Monangai. He chipped in five carries for 37 yards and scored a 22-yard touchdown that allowed the Bears to take the lead late in the third quarter.
Even if both Swift and Monangai play against the Giants, the Bears may want Brown on the roster as an emergency third option in the run game to avoid overusing either back. They could even give him the nod over Johnson, who has two touches all season.
Bears Have More New Injuries After Bengals Victory
Monangai’s new injury is particularly relevant on the heels of his breakout performance against the Bengals, but he is not the only new addition on the Bears’ injury report.
The Bears also added linebacker T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring), safety Kevin Byard III (back/ankle) and cornerback Josh Blackwell (concussion) to the report after all three did not participate in Wednesday’s first practice.
Bears starting wide receivers DJ Moore (hip/groin) and Rome Odunze (ankle/heel) also did not practice, but both played through their injuries in Week 9 after starting the week as non-participants in practice.
On a positive note, the Bears did see second-round rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III (concussion) return to full participation on Wednesday, signaling that he is growing closer to clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol. He did not play against the Bengals.
Bears RB Kyle Monangai Gets Unexpected Injury News After Breakout Game