The Bears’ Fantasy Prospects in Year 2 of Ben Johnson
The Bears went 11-6 last year and won the division. That’s good! Now let’s see if they can do it again — the last time the Bears made the playoffs in consecutive seasons — heck, the last time they had a winning record in consecutive seasons — was 2005-2006, when their quarterbacks were Rex Grossman and Brian Griese.
Ben Johnson’s debut season in Chicago was a roaring success. But with all the fourth-quarter comebacks and surprise finishes, there is plenty of concern for regression in the year to come. The big question is whether the Bears can stave that off and be a contender for a second year in a row.
2026 Sleepers, Busts & Bold Predictions: Chicago Bears Sleeper: Kyle Monangai The Bears didn’t know what they might have in Monangai early in the year — he averaged 6. 0 carries for 26. 6 yards over his first seven games.
He got a real opportunity in Week 9 with D’Andre Swift out, and he crushed it, going for 176 yards on 26 carries. Swift’s return meant he couldn’t be fully unleashed, but from Week 9 on, Monangai averaged 12. 7 carries and 59.
7 yards. Swift’s work wasn’t heavily impacted, but the Bears did rely on both backs much more down the stretch. Now entering 2026, the team hasn’t made any changes to the backfield, and it still has a top-five offensive line , so expect both backs to have a chance to punish defenses.