CHICAGO -- Kyle Monangai saw the hole open in front of him and powered through the gap created by Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman and right guard Jonah Jackson. By the time he was tackled some 18 yards later, the Bears rookie running back had dragged Cincinnati Bengals safeties Geno Stone and Jordan Battle beyond the length of a first down.
That second quarter run was one of 26 Monangai recorded during his breakout performance against the Bengals on Nov. 2. With D'Andre Swift was sidelined with a groin injury, Monangai stepped into a starter's role and notched the second-highest single-game rushing total ever (176 yards) by a Bears rookie.
The next morning after Chicago's 47-42 win in Cincinnati, Monangai felt the physical toll of every one of those carries.
"I didn't realize it's been a whole year since I've had a workload that heavy, really since college," Monangai said. "I think my body was just in shock of the whole thing. I know I can take hits and my body bounces back recovery-wise. I know my body well enough to do that, but it definitely hurt."
The Bears needed every one of Monangai's runs to be in position to beat the Bengals that afternoon. Weeks after Bears coach Ben Johnson said he found it difficult to evaluate any of his team's running backs given the inefficiency of the run game, Monangai's contributions helped change that perception.
After averaging the third-fewest rushing yards per game (76.0) and ranking 23rd in success rate on designed runs (38.2%) through its first four games, Chicago has nearly doubled the amount of rushing yards per game (146.6) and ranks fifth in rushing success rate (44.8%) since Week 6.
The combination of Swift, the 26-year-old back who thrives when running outside the tackles, and Monangai's penchant for contact with his bruising, tone-setting runs, has the Bears finally at a place where they can lean on their ground game.
Running back was one of the highest priorities on Johnson's offseason to-do list after he was hired by the Bears. The team had hoped to add one early on Day 2 of the draft, but when the New England Patriots turned down a trade offer from Chicago and snatched Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson one pick before the Bears were on the clock at No. 39, the waiting game began.
The Bears then turned their attention to Virginia Tech's Bhayshul Tuten and Arizona State's Cam Skattebo, but both were off the board by the time Chicago was on the clock at No. 109, so the team traded back in Round 4.
Chicago's wait ended three rounds later when it selected Monangai, the Big Ten's leading rusher from Rutgers during his final two college seasons (2023-24), with the 233rd pick.
The waiting game wasn't all that unsettling for the 23-year-old from Roseland, New Jersey. From Don Bosco Prep to Rutgers and now the Bears, Monangai has made a career out of proving himself right when presented an opportunity to go from longshot to lead rusher.
Like everywhere else he's been, all Monangai needed was an opportunity to showcase the grit and determination that carried him past the critiques of being undersized and not fast enough and into an impactful role.
"I was just like, bro, all you've got to do is get in the dance," said Drew Liberman, Monangai's trainer and former high school coach. "We know what type of football player you are, we know how good you are. Whether you're undrafted, drafted, third-round pick, seventh-round pick, it really doesn't matter. You got to go play the way you played your whole career, and the rest will take care of itself."
EVERY SUNDAY GROWING up was a competition in the Monangai household. Kyle and his older brother, Kevin, are separated by 9.5 years, but age played no role when it came to battling for the week's bragging rights.
Comparing who racked up the most yards and touchdowns in their previous game began when Kyle started playing football in elementary school. Kevin, who was then a high school standout, was the first of the family to forge a path to college football (Villanova) and to the NFL (as a practice squad running back).
Kevin wanted more for his brother than he was able to achieve in football. When Kevin began working with former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley as an offensive assistant coach, he saw what was missing from Kyle's game and worked with him to improve his skill set.
Kyle's mental makeup, though, required little guidance.
"He's always been that quiet assassin, that's what my mom calls him," Kevin said. "Every level of Kyle's career he's been overlooked and seemed to be the person who had to prove themselves.
"That type of resolve gets built over time. He had it innate in him, but you've got to rise to the occasion and perform."
There was always someone ahead of Monangai on the depth chart that he would have to outwork to get an opportunity. After transferring to Don Bosco Prep -- a N.J. powerhouse -- as a junior, Monangai occupied a backfield with Jalen Berger, a four-star recruit with offers across the country.
One way Monangai earned more carries was through the trust he built up with his coaches.
"When he was in protection, he was calling out the quarterback's mike point for him because he knew the protection, he knew the defensive scheme and how to fit it in the protection," said Mike Teel, who coached Monangai at Don Bosco during his junior season. "When he knew that stuff, I knew he was going to be different.
"It was just going to be a matter of is he going to get an opportunity to be able to showcase his talent at some point?"
During his senior season, Don Bosco was one game away from the state championship when it drew St. Joseph Regional in the semifinals. Monangai had sustained a high and low ankle sprain the game before and had a bruised tibia, all in his left leg, but with the state title game on the line, being on the sideline wasn't an option.
"He was not healthy enough to play, but he suited up and he trotted himself out there," said Liberman, who coached receivers at Don Bosco. "You felt the whole energy leave from their sideline. We had him as a decoy for 30 or 40 snaps. Even though he didn't contribute much of the game, his impact was felt off the intimidation factor alone."
Monangai capped off his senior season in high school with more than 1,300 all-purpose yards and 16 touchdowns. A late offer from nearby Rutgers gave him the chance to play high level Division I football close to home, and a chance to build a career that would give him a shot at the pros.
MONANGAI ENROLLED AT Rutgers ahead of the truncated COVID-19 season. In five games in 2020, he didn't register a single offensive stat.
It was another round of wait your turn for the 5-foot-8 running back. It wasn't until the 2023 season that Monangai proved to Rutgers coaches that he could handle the type of workload that would make him the centerpiece of the offense.
"When we had Ray Rice, Day 1 I said, 'That's our guy,'" Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. "That certainly wasn't the case with Kyle. He worked his way into that role. It was strength and conditioning, learning the game.
"And I just think he has an incredible competitive spirit. Incredible. Everybody says they're a competitor. Some people are more competitors than others."
Monangai led the Big Ten in rushing with 2,541 yards from 2023-24. His 256 rushing attempts as a senior were the most in the conference. But arguably his proudest collegiate achievement was ball security. Monangai graduated college with zero career fumbles. That's 669 rushes since 2021 without turning the ball over, the most by any FBS player in that span.
That included playing the second half of the 2024 season with a non-displaced rib fracture.
"He's a workhorse," Rutgers running back Antwan Raymond said. "He was getting beat up out there and playing through some crazy stuff. He's a legitimate tough guy."
While his on-field achievements spoke volumes, his undersized frame and 4.6-second 40-yard dash that he ran at the combine are among several reasons he lasted until the seventh round.
That didn't matter to Bears running backs coach Eric Bieniemy.
"He's fast enough,"Bieniemy said. "He is definitely fast enough to get the job done. A part of that, too, is because of the attitude and the determined mindset that he has within him to put that on display. That's just a part of his makeup."
Since his breakout performance in Week 9, Monangai has recorded a rushing touchdown in Bears wins over the Giants and Vikings. With Swift healthy and back to handling double-digit rushing attempts, including a season-high 21 in Minnesota, Monangai has shifted his focus to making a big impact on fewer carries.
Given that's the mindset that got him to the NFL in the first place, it's not a surprise to Schiano that he's flourishing no matter how big or small his role is in any game.
"He's a great teammate and he's driven," Schiano said. "But don't get in his way because you're going to have a problem. Because the guy is committed. He's committed to being the best version of himself. Every turn he's had, the other back was the 'star,' but I can tell you every time in the clutch when we needed a play, we went to Kyle."