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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bears training camp observations: Another sloppy day for the offense on Day 2
The Chicago Bears hit the practice field at Halas Hall on Thursday morning for the second practice of training camp undr new head coach Ben Johnson. It was a closed practice, but the media have started to share observations. Wednesday's workout was a rough one for the offense, but it sounds like Thursday's was just as bad, if not worse. Johnson mentioned Tuesday that it's going to be an up-and-down process during training camp, and Thursday certainly sounded like it was a struggle at times. As far as attendance goes, rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III and defensive tackle Shemar Turner were sidelined by injuries while rookie cornerback Zah Frazier was excused from practice for personal reasons, as Johnson noted before practice. Here are some observations, from media members in attendance, following Thursday's training camp practice: Another sloppy day for the offense Kiran Amegadjie gets crack with starting offense, Noah Sewell remains LB3 Rookie Kyle Monangai saw some work with the first-team offense, and he had an impressive run Nashon Wright getting more time with first-team defense in place of Jaylon Johnson 11-on-11 recap Tyson Bagent working at QB2, Ian Wheeler and Kyle Monangai are fast plus more Caleb Williams under center Highlights This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears training camp observations: Sloppy day for offense on Day 2
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How good can Rutgers football's offense be? Here's what the unit looks like with camp starting
LAS VEGAS – One of the big questions facing Rutgers football with the Scarlet Knights set to kick off training camp is just how good its offense can be. Rutgers has continuity at quarterback with Athan Kaliakmanis returning. It has an offensive line that's continued to make progress, though it'll be missing a major piece. It has solid wide receivers, and added another via the transfer portal. And it has high-quality running backs, though it has to replace one of the most prolific backs in program history. Coach Greg Schiano is optimistic about the unit's potential, but he's also not glossing over the loss of talent it needs to account for. 'This could be a good offense,' Schiano said in a meeting with local reporters at Big Ten Media Days. 'But everything's got to go just right to be really good. We've got to stay healthy, guys have got to develop at the rate we expect them to.' The Scarlet Knights made substantial progress last season in Kirk Ciarrocca's second year as offensive coordinator. Rutgers averaged 28.9 points per game, the most since 2008. Kaliakmanis was at the middle of that, throwing for 2,696 yards and 18 touchdowns. But so was Kyle Monangai, who rushed for 1,279 yards and 13 touchdowns. Rutgers will undoubtedly miss the standard and example that Monangai, a seventh-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears, on and off the field. 'We lost one of the best players to have played here in Kyle Monangai,' Schiano said. 'Not just his on-field performance – I spoke to some people out in Chicago and they're saying, 'This guy is unbelievable. His preparation, his professionalism.' So we lost a very important player there.' The Scarlet Knights return Antwan Raymond, Ja'shon Benjamin and Sam Brown. They also brought in FAU transfer CJ Campbell Jr. "I feel like we haven't missed a beat," Kaliakmanis said. "We're good. They're working really hard. We have a great running back coach in Coach (Damiere) Shaw. He gets their best out of them every single day. That's all you can ask for." Rutgers at wide receiver needs to replace Dymere Miller and Christian Dremel, but has a talented group returning including Ian Strong, KJ Duff and Ben Black. The Scarlet Knights also added North Texas transfer DT Sheffield. It's also going to help to have Kenny Fletcher back healthy at tight end – the Delran product showed promise at the position after moving over from defensive end, but he suffered a season-ending injury in the sixth game. He caught 20 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns until the injury. 'We lost a couple (of players), but I think we have a lot of returning players,' Schiano said. 'Kenny's on schedule. We thought Kenny started very well. We added some players that I think can help. We'll see. The O-line has a chance. But I think replacing Hollin is not a little thing.' There's no doubt about that. Pierce, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, started 50 consecutive games with the Scarlet Knights. He was an anchor for the line at left tackle. 'Every week you take him for granted – I didn't take him for granted, but a lot of people did,' Schiano said. 'He got better and better and better.' Tyler Needham is likely the leading candidate to take over at left tackle with training camp set to begin, but nothing is guaranteed. If everything does go right, Rutgers' offense has a chance to be highly productive. It's come a long way in the past couple seasons. The Scarlet Knights also substantial talent, but they added some too. How much better it can be will soon be determined. This article originally appeared on Rutgers football: How good can offense be this season?
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bears former 4th-round pick named 'player to watch' during training camp
The Chicago Bears offense is all about what quarterback Caleb Williams can do in his second season, but he is going to need help around him for the Bears offense to be one of the best in the NFL. One position group on offense that the Bears failed to upgrade this offseason was the running back room, adding only Rutgers' Kyle Monangai in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. One running back that has been with Chicago the last two years is Roschon Johnson, and he has a chance to take over as the lead back. Gene Chamberlain from Bears On SI thinks Johnson is a player to watch during training camp. "D'Andre Swift's skillset is well known after his 295 touches in the Bears offense last year and Ben Johnson knows him well from being together in Detroit. It's the power back who is a lesser known quantity and entirely necessary in what his coach wants to do," Chamberlain. "Roschon Johnson has barely been used in two seasons--a paltry 136 carries and 50 receptions in two seasons. He pass blocks well and this will be critical. Rookie Kyle Monangai is a player the Bears would like to see deliver but a seventh-rounder is at least as likely to wind up cut and on the practice squad as on the roster, and a position of prominence in the attack is definitely not a given. The only Bears running backs from Round 7 since the seven round draft started in 1993 were Kerrith Whyte Jr. in 2019 and Michael Hicks in 1996. Hicks gained 106 yards in is Bears career while White got cut, put on the practice squad and then pilfered off it by Pittsburgh. He lasted part of a season in the NFL. If a back is that good, why did they go in Round 7, and why were 21 other backs taken before Monangai? It's Johnson to watch at camp, and maybe Monangai is a back to watch in preseason games when the new players at the bottom of the roster get more playing time." The Bears drafted Johnson in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and should be able to help take control of the offense in his third NFL Johnson could be the No. 1 running back for the Bears, the team could make the playoffs.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bears Rookie RB Kyle Monangai Pushes Back on 7th-Round Label After Draft Slide
Bears Rookie RB Kyle Monangai Pushes Back on 7th-Round Label After Draft Slide originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With offseason camps officially in the books, the Bears are starting to get a clearer picture of which rookies could push for real roles this fall. One of those names has already created buzz, not just with his play—but with his story. After quietly climbing the depth chart, a rookie running back recently opened up about his surprise slide on draft day, and why he's not letting that define him. Advertisement Kyle Monangai, a rugged running back out of Rutgers, is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing stories to emerge from Chicago's offseason program. He posted back-to-back 1,200-yard rushing seasons in the Big Ten, totaled 707 career touches—669 rushing attempts and 38 receptions—without a single fumble, and became the first Rutgers running back to earn All-America honors since Ray Rice in 2007. Despite those accolades, he slid to the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Kyle MonangaiGetty Images Recently, Monangai joined The Big Pro Football Show: Bears on CHSN to discuss his journey and his first impressions of being with the team. 'It's been surreal, just working, doing what I love to do. I'm taking everything in and getting closer with the guys.' Advertisement When asked by David Haugh about constantly being labeled as '7th-round pick Kyle Monangai,' the rookie didn't shy away: 'I embrace it. People always want to put a label on me at every level of football. It's nothing that I'm not used to. I'll wear it with pride, and we'll see at the end what I'm known for.' Clay Harbor chimed in with a reminder of Monangai's credentials—two straight 1,200-yard seasons in the Big Ten without ever fumbling. He then asked if Monangai was shocked to last until Round 7. 'I would be lying if I said that's where I was going to go. I definitely expected higher of myself. That's where the chips landed, and I couldn't be more excited in the situation I'm in. It's not necessarily what number you go, it's where you go.' Known for his hard-nosed, downhill style in college, Monangai's draft stock took a hit due to below-average testing numbers in speed and explosiveness. But early returns in Chicago tell a different story. He's drawn praise from teammates and coaches alike, and head coach Ben Johnson even named him as one of four standouts from the Bears' offseason camp. Advertisement Confident, focused, and already turning heads, Monangai enters training camp with a real chance to carve out a role in a crowded backfield. And if his past is any indication, being overlooked won't stop him. Related: Former Bears Coach Breaks Silence on Caleb Williams' Rookie-Year Frustration Related: Bears 10-Year Veteran Bids Emotional Farewell to Chicago This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why Rome Odunze, stronger and playing ‘freely' in Year 2, has high hopes for 2025
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Rome Odunze's birthday present included getting back to work at Halas Hall last week. He turned 23 on June 3, the first day of the Chicago Bears' mandatory minicamp. And for as much as Odunze has welcomed a more informed outlook entering his second year in the NFL, he knows he has untapped potential. He's young. Younger than Bears second-round rookie offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and just three days older than sixth-round rookie running back Kyle Monangai. Advertisement 'I just turned 23,' Odunze said on Thursday. 'I don't have many things to focus on other than getting better.' This offseason, Odunze said, he's focused on putting himself 'in peak condition spiritually, mentally (and) physically.' He's added a few pounds of lean mass and lost some fat. He's dialed in on his upper-body strength, which he said he learned was particularly important to come out on the better side of 50-50 catches. 'There's a lot of nitpicking and grabbing in this league that isn't always shown,' Odunze said. 'I feel like I needed to build upper-body mass to be able to combat some of those things.' Unlike this time last year, when the former University of Washington receiver was joining his new team after months of pre-draft questions and evaluations, Odunze knows what's ahead of him. 'It's a different game than college football. There are different windows, different ways to get open, and there's a different pace that you have to get adapted to,' Odunze said. 'Having a full season under my belt, I feel like I'm aware of those things. 'I can now play the game freely in a way that I know where I need to be when I need to be there.' The ninth pick in the 2024 draft, Odunze's rookie season was a mixed bag. He made 54 catches for 734 yards, both ranking third among Bears receivers behind DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, and three touchdowns. He showed glimpses — like his 47-yard catch in a loss to the Colts in Week 3, which remained the longest reception for the Bears all season — but faded into the background at other times. It wasn't all on the rookie, though, as the Bears finished last in the league in total offense (283.5 yards per game). But the worst part about Year 1? Odunze didn't hesitate to answer: It was losing. The Bears finished 5-12, losing 10 of their last 11 games, as offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and then head coach Matt Eberflus were fired in-season. As Chicago welcomes a new regime led by head coach Ben Johnson, an offensive makeover is in progress. Odunze already noted the explosiveness that the new offense will prioritize. On Thursday, minicamp fun and games were the early signs of trick plays in progress. 'I think Ben (Johnson) and crew have great offensive minds,' Odunze said. 'I feel like they can help put me in positions to succeed, and that's all I can ask for. 'But at the end of the day, I've got to get out there and make plays and get the job done regardless.' Moore, who has led the Bears in receiving in each of the past two seasons, said earlier in minicamp he noticed Odunze's improvement from last year. That progress included a few highlight-worthy plays, such as Thursday, when Odunze snagged a catch through traffic from a scrambling Caleb Williams (at the 25-second mark of the clip below). Every rep counts 💪 — Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 6, 2025 With his added comfort, developing that chemistry with Williams is Odunze's next step forward, and a particularly important one if he plans to take on a larger role. Allen is a free agent and not expected back in Chicago, which could open up more targets for Odunze, although the Bears also added two pass catchers early in the draft, taking tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 and wideout Luther Burden at No. 39. Advertisement It's still too early to write his goals in stone, but Odunze is eyeing 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns in the 2025 season. For the team, he didn't shy away from singling out a playoff appearance, which would be the Bears' first since 2020. Chicago has just two playoff appearances and no trips past the wild-card round since reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2010. 'When you're doing the right things and you're having success, and the team is having success, all the statistics and those numbers will come,' Odunze said. For the new 23-year-old, a 'Jordan Year' breakout would be exactly what he and Chicago desire.
