The Chicago Bears overhauled their offensive coaching staff this offseason. When the Bears hired Ben Johnson as head coach, they opted to bring in several veteran coaches to help him along the way – this includes running backs coach Eric Bieniemy. While Bieniemy is no longer the hot coaching candidate he once was, he is going back to his roots. At Bears OTAs, Bieniemy looked happier than ever, sending a firm message to Chicago rookie running back Kyle Monangai.
The Bears ran a basic drill meant to test the footwork of Chicago's running backs early in OTAs. Considering Monangai is just a rookie, he can afford to make a few mistakes. However, Bieniemy took notice, telling the Rutgers product “you’re moving like an old ass man.” He wasn't wrong.
Eric Bieniemy's winding path to the Chicago Bears
It's been a complicated path back to the NFL for Bieniemy. The Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator spent one year with the Washington Commanders, and then moved on to UCLA. After parting ways with the Bruins, he made his way to Chicago and his roots, as the longtime running backs coach landed that same role.
Bieniemy has always had a supporter in Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who gave the Bears a preview of exactly what they were getting when he joined Ben Johnson's staff. Reid isn't a bad reference to have.
“He’s the best at a lot of things," Reid said. "He was a great OC, great running back coach. He can coach, really, any position. They’re lucky to have him. He’s a tremendous leader. One of the best leaders (I’ve ever been around).”
Will Kyle Monangai make the Bears roster?
As for Monangai, the seventh-round product from Rutgers is merely fighting for a roster spot on a crowded depth chart which includes the likes of D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer. Per ESPN, Monangai is listed as the third running back, but that could always change depending on the OTAs and training camp production of a player like Homer. The good news for Monangai is the competition, at least from the naked eye, appears to be wide open. Chicago Tribune Bears insider Brad Biggs said as much in a recent radio interview.
"It's a wide-open competition there at the running back position," Biggs said. "You would imagine D'Andre Swift will be in the front of that, but there's an opportunity for two things — playing time and touches. That's why they drafted him."
It's highly unlikely that Monangai makes the leap to starter this season, but over the course of 17 games he should receive his opportunities. That's why it's important he impresses Bieniemy, and learns some early lessons at OTAs.