Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has finally found Eric Bieniemy’s replacement at RBs coach for the 2026 season. For those who may have forgotten, Bieniemy suddenly departed the organization to take the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator job.
It was a decision that caught many fans off guard, especially considering how good Chicago’s ground attack was this season with D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai sharing the rock. That said, the Bears’ running back room should be in good hands, as Chicago is reportedly bringing in Eric Studesville to be the new RBs coach, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
The 58-year-old Studesville has a history with Johnson and the Bears franchise. He worked with Johnson for two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. As for his time in the Windy City, Studesville was an offensive assistant (1997-1998) and WRs coach (1999-2000).
Studesville has spent the last eight years with the Dolphins, coaching running backs for seven of those seasons. He’s had a chance to work with a different style of RBs over the years, from Frank Gore to De’Von Achane. Therefore, fans should expect him to pick up where Bieniemy left off this season.
In fact, one of Studesville's priorities will be to continue Monangai's development, as the rookie is coming off an OK playoff performance.
Bears' Eric Studesville Hire Is Perfect for Kyle Monangai Heading in 2026
After joining the franchise as a seventh-round pick, the rookie running back exceeded all expectations, earning the trust of Ben Johnson and Bieniemy, and was rewarded with playing time. Monangai racked up 783 yards and five touchdowns on 169 carries, while showing he can be used as a pass catcher, too, after reeling in 18 receptions (30 targets) for 164 yards.
Monangai was the perfect complement to Swift as a physical running back who could run between the tackles and lower his shoulder.
However, Monangai’s workload slightly changed during the final month of the season. After enjoying five straight games with double-digit carries from Weeks 11 to 15, the rookie RB only averaged 7.7 carries per game in his final three contests. He also averaged 34 yards per game over that stretch, which isn’t a lot, but his 4.4 yards per carry were slightly less concerning than the raw totals.
In the playoffs, Monangai had a quiet 27 rushing yards on eight carries (3.4 YPC) against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round, and then had 36 yards on 13 carries (2.8 YPC) vs. the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round.
It wasn’t ideal production from the rookie RB, who actually thrived as a receiver out of the backfield against the Rams with four receptions (four targets) for 36 yards.
That said, looking ahead to 2026, Bears fans should hope this is one aspect of Monangai’s game that Studesville can build off of.
Over the last three seasons, we’ve seen Studesville help take Achane’s game to another level. Helping Achane quickly become one of the most explosive backs in the league. After gaining 997 scrimmage yards in his rookie season, the running back totalled 1,838 this season, an impressive leap to say the least.
The Bears won’t be expecting that type of jump from Monangai, as Swift will still be the lead guy in 2026. However, if Monangai can show consistency on the ground while further developing his skills as a receiver out of the backfield, we could be looking at him competing for the RB1 spot in 2027.