Coming into the season, the Chicago Bears appeared to be lacking an adequate “thunder” to the “lightning” they already had. That seemed like a glaring oversight, with the Bears hiring Ben Johnson away from the Detroit Lions this past offseason.
There, he enjoyed the combination of Jahmyr Gibbs and ex-Bear David Montgomery, affectionately known as “Sonic & Knuckles.”
It is early, and different, but the Bears may have hit on enough similarities to make a difference.
D’Andre Swift’s Resurgence, Kyle Monangai’s Emergence Good News for Bears
D’Andre Swift Saw Bears’ Vision
After averaging 102.3 yards per carry over their first four games of the season, twice going over the 100-yard mark as a team, the Bears have rattled off five such performances in six games to average 176.2 rushing YPG.
They had three rushing touchdowns from Weeks 1 through 4 and have 9 TDs on the ground since then. D’Andre Swift, though, knew it would take time and insisted that the Bears were indeed close.
He has proven himself correct.
“Every single week, we looking to get better, man. Them guys up front been doing a hell of a job for however many weeks we’ve been clicking – since we weren’t clicking earlier in the season. But they’ve been doing a great job, them and the guys on the perimeter. Just playing real clean, man. So, it makes our job a little easier,” Swift told Clocker Sports on Friday.
“I’m always confident in my ability. I know who I am, and the work I put in, and I know the process that I have throughout the week. So, my confidence is never going to waver, no matter what happens. The group of guys that we have, and the people that we brought in, I knew it was only a matter of time before everything started cooking. And we still got room to grow. Take it one week at a time, and we still can be so much better.”
Swift is up to 634 yards and 4 TDs on 134 carries this season. His numbers may not pop among the pack, but they mark a tremendous turnaround for him after a down season in 2024.
Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy set the tone for the group early, and Swift has responded.
“Swift has done a great job. First of all, Swift is very professional. He comes to work early, and he stays late on top of it. There’s nothing out there that he takes for granted. He’s grown accustomed to me, and he’s taken hard coaching. But on top of that, he’s not afraid of constructive criticism,” Bieniemy told Clocker Sports on Thursday.
“You can see it just in his body of work, and the things that he’s done this year. Swift has done a hell of a job running hard in between the tackles, doing a great job picking up the blitz, and he’s doing a great job making catches out of the backfield, which in this league in this day and age, you have to be an all-around player because that’s what you expect. And, obviously, everybody knows what he can do when the ball is in your hands. When the ball is not in your hands, what are you capable of doing? And that’s one thing I think he’s taken great control of, and he’s doing a hell of a job.”
Bieniemy said one key is that Swift has “taken great control” of what he does when the ball is not in his hands, and that doing the right things then is translating to his carries.
“He’s doing a hell of a job,” Bieniemy said.
Kyle Monangai Doing His Part
Rookie sixth-round draft pick Kyle Monangai has provided the “thunder” to Swift’s “lightning,” and he spoke candidly about it being largely a matter of opportunity from the Bears’ coaching staff.
“I think just with more opportunities, more reps,” Monangai told Clocker Sports on Thursday. “I think with more repetition comes confidence. Same thing with preparation. When you’re prepared, you feel more confident and go and perform. So, I think it’s a combination of both. Just preparing better, and then also, again, the reps. And so, to myself, those experiences allow me to have confidence when I come out the next week to do it again, you know what I mean?”
Bieniemy said Monangai (87-413-3) is certainly putting in the requisite work behind the scenes and it has paid off for him.
Bieniemy also pointed to Monangai’s relationship with Swift.
“Kyle works hard. That was his bio when he was at Rutgers. He doesn’t take anything for granted. And, obviously, he has that same type of mentality. He wants to get better. So, he focuses on the details. He’s not afraid of constructive criticism. And on top of that, he’s adapted to my personality. But he’s doing a heck of a job of staying in tune and living in the moment, which has been fun to watch,” Bieniemy told Clocker Sports.
“On top of that, Swift has done a heck of a job of just making sure that they’re talking, he’s [Monangai] seeing the things that he’s [Swift] seeing out there on the field as well. So, I love the communication. I love the dynamics of the room. It’s been good so far.”
Swift had nothing but good things to say about Monangai, with whom, along with several other teams, he shares East Coast ties.
“That’s my guy, right there,” Swift told Clocker Sports. “Kyle, man. Like little bro, right there. Good people – great people. He’s definitely East Coast. So, it’s kind of like when we met, it … came natural, you know what I mean?”
Monangai cited their East Coast ties, but also similar demeanors as soft-spoken people.
“I’m somebody who learns a lot, even by just example. So, it’s also another soft-spoken guy. But we kind of just had that connection in terms of we understood each other, that we know we both work hard, and I think we make each other better. But from the moment I got in the building, he was welcoming to me,” Monangai told Clocker Sports about Swift.
“He’s taught me a lot, just about how he carries himself and what it means to be a running back in the league.”
Their next test is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Monangai praised Pittsburgh.
“It’s hard to find a flaw in their defense on all three levels, from the front to the back end. And yeah, we gotta be prepared. The guys up front know the task at hand. I got confidence,” Monangai told Clocker Sports.
“They’ve been working hard. We’ll be there to pick up any backers or apply for any help on the edges if we need.”
Eric Bieniemy an Unsung Hero for Bears
Getting the ground game untracked is thanks in no small part to Bieniemy, who took over the NFL’s eighth-worst rushing attack in 2024. He is unapologetically himself, from his uplifting remarks about players to his frank criticism in practice and, presumably, the classroom.”
“Everybody sees how he is. It’s how he is all the time. He shoots you straight with you. And he gives you what you need to know, and probably a little more. Just because he’s known the game and been in this game for so long. So, I think he helped me acclimate quicker than I probably would have if not for him,” Monangai told Clocker Sports.
“I think from the time – OTA’s, training camp, to now – it’s been a great amount of progression.”
Monangai said personalities like Bieniemy helped raise him in New Jersey during his football journey, saying, “That’s nothing new to me.”
Swift also said having Bieniemy has been “good,” adding that the grizzled but affable coach is “somebody that coaches you hard, stays on top of the details at all times. Don’t take no BS, don’t settle for no BS. Attention to details, and everything, it’s been good.”