Bears RB Monangai out, QB Williams questionable vs. Packers

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  Courtney CroninOct 9, 2026, 03:11 PM ET

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  Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever and GameNight on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears will be without running back Kyle Monangai when they face the Green Bay Packers in Week 5.

Monangai was ruled out Friday by coach Ben Johnson while dealing with injuries to his thumb and toe coming off a career-high 30 carries in Chicago's 23-12 win over the Jets. Though Johnson said earlier this week that Monangai's thumb "is not an issue," the running back's turf toe injury is a "bigger deal" than the team initially anticipated.

Monangai, who is currently in a walking boot, saw a specialist for his toe injury and is considered "week-to-week" in his recovery. He is not a candidate for injured reserve, according to Johnson.

Against the Packers, the Bears' top-ranked rushing attack will be spearheaded by D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson. Monangai was replaced by Johnson once he exited the Jets game with injury after the 4:08 mark in the fourth quarter. The former fourth-round pick had four carries for 16 yards during the Bears' final drive, which spanned 9 minutes, 16 seconds.

"I was really pleased with what he looked like in camp," Ben Johnson said of Roschon Johnson. "He was one of those guys that we just hadn't seen a lot of because of the injury history. And yet, since he's been healthy, he runs hard. I think that showed up again last week when he got the ball in his hands, put his foot in the ground and got north and south right away."

Roschon Johnson was drafted by the Bears in 2023 and spent much of his first two seasons under previous offensive coordinators as Chicago's short yardage back. He was limited to seven games in 2025 due to injury and made most of his contributions on special teams as Swift and Monangai developed into the Bears' one-two punch under Ben Johnson.

Roschon Johnson had a career-best six touchdowns in 2024, all of which came inside his opponent's 10-yard line. As the Bears aim to fix their issues in the red zone after going 4-of-13 (excluding kneel downs) since Week 2, the former Texas product "might be a part of the solution" according to his head coach.

"Bigger body than the other guys in that room, and so I think he's a complete back," Ben Johnson said. "He can run hard in between the tackles. I think he's got enough speed to get to the perimeter. He catches the ball well out of the backfield and then because of his size, I think he's an asset in pass protection as well. So he can do a little bit of everything, which we really value at that spot."

The Bears average a league-high 196 rushing yards per game and lead the NFL in both rushing yards before contact (421) and after contact (364). Conversely, the Green Bay Packers are allowing 139.3 rushing yards per game (28th in NFL).

After losing his second fumble of the season in the third quarter of the Jets game, Swift spent the rest of the afternoon on the sideline. He's placed a stricter emphasis on ball security this week to prove that fumbling issues "aint me," a sentiment that Ben Johnson agrees with.

"He's the same guy," Ben Johnson said. "Nothing's changed. I'm not concerned about anything other than him getting his body back underneath him and ready to go. And I think yesterday he proved that he's going to be able to help us here this weekend. So I'm very optimistic about that."

Quarterback Tyson Bagent is expected to start his second straight game. Caleb Williams (hamstring) was limited Friday as he practiced for the first time since prior to Chicago's Week 2 loss to the Vikings. Williams is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's affair.

"He's right on track," Johnson said. "We've got him throwing a little bit the other day and we've got a progression set up for what that looks like. So to be determined how long it's going to be."

Ben Johnson said Williams has been progressively increasing the amount of running he's been able to do while working with trainers. The quarterback is going through a throwing protocol every couple of days to make sure he does not face a setback once he's cleared to return.