A short, 70-minute Chicago Bears practice with only 44 players on the field was marred by potentially bad news Sunday afternoon at Halas Hall.
Running back Kyle Monangai got tangled up with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett near the sideline at the end of a run and went down in pain with what appeared to be a right knee injury.
Jarrett did not tackle Monangai, and it was a practice in shorts and shells the day after the preseason opener at Soldier Field. It appeared to be the kind of freak incident that can happen on a football field with players moving quickly.
Jarrett and left tackle Braxton Jones stood over Monangai as soon as it happened. Jarrett appeared upset that he had gotten in that awkward position. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson stood over Monangai, and head athletic trainer Andre Tucker was there almost immediately.
Tucker examined Monangai’s right knee for a few minutes and the second-year running back got up and slowly walked to the building.
The Bears will need to have imaging done and get medical staff involved to determine the extent of the injury for Monangai, one of many frontline players who did not play in Saturday’s preseason game.
Monangai rushed for 783 yards and five touchdowns last season, pairing with D’Andre Swift to form the third-ranked rushing offense in the NFL. Monangai played in all 17 games and Swift only missed one game. Their durability meant the team’s third running back, Brittain Brown, had a grand total of five carries for the season.
A serious injury to Monangai would force the Bears to take a look at the depth chart. Right now, Roschon Johnson and Salvon Ahmed are the leading candidates for the No. 3 running back position.