Even though Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai finally practiced on Friday, it's unlikely that he'll see the field on Sunday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Saturday, the Bears announced that running back Salvon Ahmed would be elevated from the practice squad, a strong sign that Monangai will once again be inactive in Week 9. And with the Bears' bye week up next, his next chance to play won't be until Week 11.

Monangai hasn't played since he popped off in the Bears' dominant Week 4 victory against the New York Jets. By the end of that matchup, Monangai was on pace for a monster season. He had carried the ball a career-high 30 times for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Unfortunately, he exited that game early with what turned out to be a pretty bad case of turf toe.

If the Bears do indeed make Monangai an inactive player for this game, it will be the fifth straight game that he's missed. This after playing in all nineteen games last year, including the Bears' two postseason games, and averaging an impressive 4.6 yards per carry.

What Salvon Ahmed brings to the Bears

Keeping Monangai on the sideline for another week is probably the best course of action, both for Monangai and for the team. With just one limited practice under his belt since his Week 4 injury, Monanga isn't ready for live action, especially against a defensive front as ferocious as Tampa Bay's. Give him this week and the bye week to recover, and then see what Week 11 has in store.

The Bears will certainly miss Monangai's hard-charging running yet again, but they'll be in capable hands. For one thing, D'Andre Swift's three-touchdown performance in the Bears' statement primetime victory last week proved that he can make the plays that count. Additionally, the Bears will have Roschon Johnson and now Salvon Ahmed at their disposal.

Ahmed had himself a solid performance in the preseason this year, averaging almost seven yards per carry on eight rushing attempts. He also showed himself to be a willing and able blocker when his number is called. He's unlikely to get much of a workload on Sunday, not unless the Bears somehow race out to a massive early lead, but at least the coaches don't need to worry about their third running back option.

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