The Chicago Bears hit a seventh-round home run when they selected Kyle Monangai late on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL draft, but the team’s luck with the young running back hasn’t been quite so good this offseason.
Monangai hyperextended his right knee in mid-August and things have not progressed as optimally as the team might like.
“Ben Johnson says Kyle Monangai (knee) is week-to-week, which would indicate his status for the Bears’ opener is in question,” Chris Emma of The Score reported via X on Tuesday, September 1.
If Monangai can’t go Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers (Sunday, September 13), the Bears will have a few choices to replace him as the RB2 behind starter D’Andre Swift. One option is Roschon Johnson, though he has a history of concussions and got just two carries and no targets in the pass game last season, the first under the new coaching regime.
The Bears also signed RB Salvon Ahmed to the practice squad and added former Minnesota Vikings running back Zavier Scott to the practice squad on Tuesday, stealing him out from under their NFC North Division rivals.
Vikings Wanted Zavier Scott Back After Cutting Running Back Over Weekend
On Monday, Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported that the Vikings wanted Scott back after cutting him as part of the push to get the roster down 53 players over the weekend.
“#Vikings wanted RB Zavier Scott back and on their practice squad,” Wolfson wrote on social media. “But hear he’s expected to land with the #Bears.”
Scott did, in fact, join Chicago on Tuesday and will now potentially compete with Ahmed and Johnson for a chance to be RB2 in Monangai’s stead, and probably the team’s third-string rusher once Monangai returns healthy.
Scott, 27, played in 16 games for Minnesota last season. An undrafted rookie in 2023, his 254 total snaps between the offense and special teams units represented the running back’s first regular season action of his professional career.
All told, Scott tallied 32 carries for 114 yards in 2025, which equates to an average of 3.6 yards per rush. He also netted 14 receptions on 16 targets for 98 yards and one touchdown.
Bears Value Explosive Plays in Run Game, Which Favors Zavier Scott
Ben Johnson puts value on explosive plays, particularly in the run game, which should afford Scott a viable chance to elevate himself to the active roster at some point this year given that big-play ability is perhaps the most attractive part of his skill set.
Chicago finished sixth in overall offense last season, tallying 369.2 yards per game. The unit was third in the NFL on the ground with an average of 144.5 rushing yards per contest behind only the Buffalo Bills (No. 1) and the Baltimore Ravens (No. 2).
Swift is entering the final year of his current contract in 2026, while Monangai is under contract with Chicago through the 2028 campaign.
Bears Pilfer RB From Vikings After Bad Kyle Monangai News