Rutgers Professional Athletes

Kyle Monangai can't catch a break — literally or figuratively.

The Rutgers product and Chicago Bears running back has been ruled out for his fourth consecutive game, this time for Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks (Nov. 2). Thumb and toe injuries have kept Monangai sidelined since a 146-yard performance against the Jets, and despite some flickers of optimism during the week — ESPN's Jeremy Fowler floated a "shred of hope" for a return, and beat writers spotted him getting limited work at Wednesday's practice — he never cleared the necessary hurdles.

By the time Chicago's final practice report dropped Saturday, Oct. 31, it was official: Monangai is out.

The Bears spent the week telegraphing the bad news. Monangai missed Tuesday's practice entirely, and Chicago made a quiet roster move — elevating running back Zavier Scott — that all but confirmed he wouldn't suit up. He also sat out Thursday's session as a non-participant, and the team formally ruled him out ahead of the weekend.

For a Bears offense already navigating multiple injury questions — tight end Colston Loveland was listed as questionable on the same final report — losing Monangai for a fourth straight week is a significant blow. He's been one of Chicago's most explosive weapons in the backfield, and his absence hands Seattle a meaningful advantage heading into a high-profile primetime matchup.

The Seahawks, for their part, got the news they were hoping for. With Monangai out, Chicago's ground game loses its most dangerous element going into what figures to be a critical Week 8 contest.

Elsewhere in the NFL for Scarlet Knight alumni, Isiah Pacheco continued to draw injury attention in Detroit. The Lions' backfield addition was included in a wave of injury updates from head coach Dan Campbell, though the specifics of Pacheco's status did not materially affect his week. Bo Melton logged a modest one-catch, four-yard outing for Green Bay in a 17-20 home loss to Detroit on Oct. 25, then suited up again four days later in a 27-19 Packers win over Carolina on Oct. 29, though he did not record a statline in that contest.

The headline, though, belongs to Monangai — and not the one Bears fans were hoping for. A player who looked like a cornerstone piece of Chicago's offense has now missed a month of football, and there's no firm timetable yet for his return.

Two of the more prominent Rutgers alumni on NFL rosters are spending more time with trainers than teammates this week, and the injury news couldn't have come at a worse time for either player or their teams.

Kyle Monangai, Bears: Turf Toe Drags Into Week 8

The bigger storyline — at least in terms of sustained coverage — surrounds Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai, who has now missed three consecutive games with a turf toe injury. The former Scarlet Knight had been one of the NFL's more productive young backs before the ailment sidelined him, and his absence has created a genuine void in Chicago's backfield.

The Bears' Week 7 injury updates were a mess of mixed signals. The team put out conflicting statements on Monangai's status ahead of Thursday Night Football against New England, and ultimately ruled him out entirely. To compensate, Chicago elevated RB Zavier Scott to the active roster and leaned on D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson to carry the load — a situation the team's offensive coordinator, Press Taylor, has acknowledged is not ideal. Taylor pointed to Monangai's importance specifically when explaining Swift's uneven workload in recent weeks: with Monangai healthy, the Bears have a late-game ground option they simply don't have right now.

With Week 8 on the horizon, Monangai's return timeline remains uncertain. Sports Illustrated noted that the Bears have provided no clear timetable, leaving his status a week-to-week evaluation as turf toe can be notoriously difficult to predict. Patriots fans got a free pass on Thursday night. Bears fans are still waiting.

Sebastian Joseph-Day, Steelers: Suddenly on IR

While Monangai's situation has been building for weeks, the news on defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day hit Pittsburgh without much warning. The Steelers placed Joseph-Day on injured reserve on Thursday, ending his availability for the near future. The move came ahead of Pittsburgh's game against the Saints — played in Paris — and represented a significant loss for a Steelers defensive line that has already been tested by attrition this season.

Joseph-Day had appeared in Pittsburgh's Week 7 win over Tampa Bay just days before the IR designation, making the placement especially abrupt. Per multiple reports, the Steelers described the move as sudden, with few details on the specific nature of the injury made public. Landing on IR means Joseph-Day must miss at least four games before becoming eligible to return.

The Scarlet Knight on the Bright Side

Not all the Rutgers news this week came with a trainer's report attached. Guard Jonah Jackson — also with the Bears — was listed as a full participant in practice as Chicago headed into Thursday's game, a positive development after his name appeared on the injury report earlier in the week. Jackson was cleared to play against New England, giving Chicago at least one piece of good news amid an otherwise grim week of health updates.

Across the rest of the Rutgers alumni network, activity was relatively quiet. Bo Melton suited up for Green Bay's win over Dallas, and Max Melton was active for Arizona in a close loss to the Rams. Fullback Michael Burton contributed two rushing yards for Cleveland in a tight win over Baltimore.

But this week belonged to the injury report — and two Rutgers standouts learning just how long a season can feel when you're watching from the sideline.

Kyle Monangai was supposed to be the story of Chicago's season. The Rutgers product carried the ball 30 times in a single game — a number that belongs to a different era of football — and looked every bit like the Bears' answer at lead back. Then turf toe happened, and the second-year running back has been watching from the sideline ever since.

Heading into Chicago's Week 6 trip to Atlanta, Monangai was never seriously in the conversation to play. Early-week injury reports were discouraging, and by Thursday he was listed as a serious doubt. The Bears ultimately elevated RB Zavier Scott as a replacement option, a roster move that underscores how thin things have gotten in Chicago's backfield. D'Andre Swift — the veteran presence who was supposed to be the complementary piece — was dealing with his own health concerns heading into the Falcons game, leaving the Bears scrambling at a position that looked like a strength just weeks ago.

Head coach Ben Johnson did offer a cautiously optimistic note on Monangai's recovery during the week, stopping short of pessimism while making clear the turf toe wasn't ready to let go. The Bears ended up losing to Green Bay 31-7 — a result that makes the backfield situation feel even more urgent.

The timing is brutal. Monangai's 30-carry game was the kind of breakout moment that builds a feature-back reputation. Now, with weeks of inactivity stacking up, the Bears face real questions about whether that usage contributed to the injury and whether Monangai can recapture that role when he does return.

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Elsewhere in the NFL

Monangai wasn't the only Rutgers alumni drawing attention this week, though the circumstances were quieter.

In Detroit, safety Christian Izien is on notice. The Lions signed the versatile defensive back as a depth piece, but his snap count has been erratic — and in Week 5, he didn't play at all. With Detroit on bye during this period, the front office used the downtime to evaluate their roster, and Heavy Sports reported Izien has been put on notice about his role going forward. For a player who needs snaps to prove his value, the bye week silence isn't exactly reassuring.

In Green Bay, wide receiver Bo Melton saw his role expand out of necessity. With Jayden Reed injured and his replacement Skyy Moore also going down, the Packers leaned on Melton and rookie J. Michael Sturdivant. Melton caught 3 passes for 20 yards against Chicago in the Bears' blowout loss — modest numbers, but meaningful in the context of an offense searching for reliable options at receiver. Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich publicly acknowledged the expanded roles, a sign the coaching staff is paying attention even if the production hasn't yet popped.

It was a week that captured the NFL's brutal calculus for fringe contributors: one injury away from opportunity, one bad snap count from irrelevance. For Monangai, the hope is that his opportunity — and his health — come back together soon.

Two Rutgers alumni stepped into the spotlight in Week 4 of the NFL season, delivering headline moments on opposite ends of the country — and both paying for it before Week 5 even arrived.

Kaliakmanis Steps In Under the Brightest Lights

Athan Kaliakmanis didn't get a standard NFL debut. The Washington Commanders rookie quarterback was pressed into action in London after Marcus Mariota went down with an injury against the Indianapolis Colts — making him the team's third-string option thrust onto an international stage with no runway.

The Rutgers product finished with 186 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception, adding 16 yards on the ground in a 13-30 loss. The line won't turn heads, but the circumstances were as unforgiving as they come. Per Sports Illustrated, Kaliakmanis showed a strong arm and an aggressive mindset — along with the expected growing pains of a rookie making his first NFL start cold. Stefon Diggs, according to Heavy Sports, delivered a message to Kaliakmanis just before he took the field — a detail that underscores just how abruptly the moment arrived. The Sporting News noted Washington had already made one quarterback change earlier this season before turning to the Rutgers alum.

Whether Kaliakmanis holds the job going forward remains to be seen, but few NFL debuts in recent memory have come with this little preparation time and this much scrutiny.

Monangai Erupts — Then Exits

While Kaliakmanis was navigating London chaos, Kyle Monangai was turning in the best performance of his young NFL career back in Chicago. The Bears running back ripped through the New York Jets for 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 23-12 victory, adding one reception for 4 yards. It was the kind of breakout showing that changes a player's trajectory.

Then came the injury report.

Monangai suffered thumb and turf toe injuries during the game and was officially ruled out for Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers, per Pro Football Talk and multiple corroborating reports. Bears head coach Ben Johnson confirmed the news, and the team moved quickly — elevating a running back and activating a linebacker off the PUP list to manage the backfield void, per Sports Illustrated.

The Sporting News reported the injury outlook as "week-to-week," with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport flagging the turf toe specifically as the more significant concern. Salvon Ahmed and Roschon Johnson are expected to absorb the carries in Monangai's absence, though neither offers the same burst that made the Rutgers alum so effective in Week 4.

The timing is brutal. Monangai had been building toward this moment all season, and his absence reshapes Chicago's offensive identity heading into a divisional rivalry game.

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Elsewhere in the Scarlet Knights' NFL footprint, Christian Izien logged a tackle for the Detroit Lions in their 26-32 loss to Carolina on Sunday. The rest of the active Rutgers roster saw limited box-score contributions in Week 4.

The week belonged to Kaliakmanis and Monangai — one grabbing his first NFL snaps in the most pressure-packed setting imaginable, the other reminding the league what he's capable of before his body forced him to the sideline. Both stories are very much unfinished.