Bears Star Running Back Injured After Dirty Tackle At Practice — Set For MRI

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Kyle Monangai left Chicago Bears practice on Sunday after suffering an apparent right knee injury. 

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett tackled him from behind during a non-padded session, and Monangai went down hard near the end of the play.

Bears insider Adam Hoge reported that Jarrett appeared to realize mid-tackle that Monangai wasn’t wearing pads and tried to hold him up as they fell. Trainer Andre Tucker tested the knee on the field before the two walked off together. 

Hoge added that Monangai didn’t need a cart, but he moved gingerly as he left the practice field.

Teammates Reacted With Concern As Trainers Examined Monangai

Bears players realized what happened immediately, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Guard Joe Thuney said afterward that he hoped it wasn’t “too crazy significant,” a sentiment that reflected the mood around Halas Hall as Monangai was examined and walked to the locker room.

About half of Chicago’s roster took part in Sunday’s session, which came roughly 24 hours after the team’s preseason win over the Cleveland Browns. Monangai sat out that exhibition game along with most of the Bears’ regular offensive contributors, so Sunday marked his first practice reps since the preseason opener.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has since reported that Monangai is believed to be “fine,” citing a source close to the situation. Initial tests showed the knee was structurally sound, though the team plans to confirm the diagnosis with an MRI. 

The move follows a pattern the Bears have leaned on throughout camp.

Chicago’s Backfield Depth Faces A Fresh Round Of Uncertainty

Monangai enters his second season as a key piece behind starter D’Andre Swift, and any missed time would push more work toward Roschon Johnson, Salvon Ahmed and Coleman Bennett. 

The seventh-round pick out of Rutgers turned heads as a rookie. He rushed for 783 yards and five touchdowns while adding 18 catches for 164 yards. His signature performance came against the Bengals, when he ran for 176 yards in his only start of the season.

Sunday’s scare adds to a rough stretch of camp injuries for Chicago. Safety Coby Bryant was carted off crying after a knee injury just over two weeks ago. Wide receiver Luther Burden III also left practice early after tangling with a defender earlier this month. 

Both situations turned into extended absences, which explains why the Bears are treating Monangai’s MRI as a precaution rather than an afterthought.

Chicago’s coaching staff hasn’t commented publicly on the timeline for Monangai’s MRI results. Until that scan comes back, the team appears cautiously optimistic that this injury won’t sideline him for long.