Kyle Monangai’s turf toe could open the door for Roschon Johnson to become a much bigger part of the Bears’ Week 5 matchup with the Packers.
ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler said Monangai is dealing with turf toe and a thumb injury, but the thumb is not the concern. The toe issue, Fowler reported, could put Monangai in jeopardy for the next game or two. Monangai will try to play through it, but he missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday this week, which leaves his status against Green Bay very much up in the air.
If Monangai can’t go, Chicago may need Johnson to step into a far larger role than anyone expected when the season started.
Johnson has spent most of the first four weeks doing the dirty work on special teams, where he has five tackles, mostly on kickoff coverage. But his role shifted in the Bears’ Week 4 23-12 win over the New York Jets. D’Andre Swift was benched after his second fumble in three weeks, Monangai got hurt and couldn’t finish, and Johnson ended up closing things out as the lead back.
He made the most of it. Johnson ran for 16 yards on four carries and added a seven-yard catch in the fourth quarter, giving Bears fans a reminder of why the team took him in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The production wasn’t flashy, but it was physical and effective. He pressed the middle, ran with power, and his longest run of the game went for 11 yards as Chicago controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock.
In fact, Johnson’s late burst against the Jets gave him more production in the second half of the fourth quarter than he had all of 2025. He entered that game with just two carries for 17 yards in seven games with the Bears.
Now the opportunity could be much bigger. Monangai, who is eighth in the NFL in rushing yards with 324, does not sound like someone likely to face Green Bay. If that holds, Swift would be next in line to lead the backfield, though his two fumbles in three games have raised concerns.
Johnson’s style at least fits what Chicago may need. Like Monangai, he’s a physical runner who isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder. He may not have Monangai’s burst in the open field, but the Bears may only need him to grind out the tough three- and four-yard gains, while Swift handles the outside zone work with his speed.
That makes this a huge chance for Johnson, who has been something of a disappointment in Chicago after never locking down the starting job and eventually losing the backup role. He heads toward 2026 with questions hanging over his roster spot, and this week gives him a real shot to quiet some of that noise.
If he gets the chance, Johnson can do more than just fill in. He can make a case that he still belongs.
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