The Chicago Bears have added a depth replacement for running back Kyle Monangai to their roster ahead of Thursday Night Football against the New England Patriots.
According to the team’s transaction wire, the Bears made two roster moves before Thursday night’s kickoff, elevating running back Zavier Scott and linebacker Buddy Johnson from their practice squad to their game-day roster for a second straight game.
Scott has been the Bears’ go-to elevation option at running back over the past three weeks while Monangai — their productive complementary back to veteran starter D’Andre Swift — has missed time with a right thumb injury and a turf toe issue.
In two games, though, Scott’s only snaps have come on special teams (30).
Even still, the Bears will count on Scott as one of their three active running backs against the Patriots on Thursday night after ruling out Monangai on the injury report.
The Bears will kick off against the Patriots at 8:15 p.m. ET tonight.
Will Kyle Monangai Return for Bears in Week 8’s Game?
Monangai will miss his third straight game when the Bears take on the Patriots on Thursday night, but there is reason to suspect that he could return in time for Week 8.
When Monangai emerged from October 4’s win over the New York Jets dealing with turf toe, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that his injury could impact his availability over the next “one to two weeks.
Some thought that could mean Monangai would return in time to play against the Patriots, but it makes sense that the Bears wouldn’t rush him back during a short week.
The Bears will also have a nine-day break between Thursday night’s game against the Patriots and their next matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football in Week 8, giving them a safer window to work back an essential playmaker.
The real question now is whether Fowler’s reported timeline is still intact.
Monangai is less than three weeks removed from his injury, but he also did not appear close to playing against the Patriots after sitting out the entire week of practice. While that might fit into the Bears’ return-to-play plans for him, he must practice again before real expectations can take hold.
In other words, the first practice of Week 8 could say a lot about Monangai’s likelihood of returning against the Seahawks next week.
Bears News: T.J. Edwards Likely Out After Roster Moves
With their pregame roster moves, the Bears may have also indirectly confirmed that veteran linebacker T.J. Edwards won’t play against the Patriots on Thursday night.
Edwards is still dealing with the hamstring injury that knocked him out early in Week 5’s loss to the Green Bay Packers and kept him from playing in Week 6’s win over the Atlanta Falcons. While he returned to practice in a limited capacity at Wednesday’s walkthrough, the Bears officially listed him as doubtful on their final injury report.
The Bears won’t make a final decision on Edwards until they announce their inactives roughly 90 minutes before kickoff, but Johnson’s second straight elevation indicates the veteran won’t suit up.
Johnson played 18 special teams snaps against the Falcons last week, freeing up the Bears’ other linebackers to play more defensive snaps with Edwards and rookie Keyshaun Elliott out with injuries.
The same role seems likely for him against the Patriots. While Elliott cleared the injury report, Jack Sanborn was ruled out with a concussion, creating a similar depth need.
Bears Make Move at RB to Replace Kyle Monangai Before Patriots Game