The Chicago Bears elevated Salvon Ahmed from the practice squad for tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, adding another running back just before kickoff at Soldier Field. The move came as the Bears and Buccaneers were set to meet at 7:20 CT on NBC's Sunday Night Football in Week 9.
The roster shift matters because the Bears entered the night at 6-2 and were trying to keep a four-game run moving after the bye week. Ahmed's promotion does not spell out how he will be used, but it does confirm he was available for the game while the running back group changed shape on the fly.
That change had another side to it. Kyle Monangai, who had been reported earlier in the day as likely to be good to go after the bye, was ultimately listed as inactive. He had also been limited in practice on Friday and got a workout at Soldier Field earlier in the day, which made the late call stand out even more once the inactive list came out.
Monangai was not the only name to come off the board. Malik Muhammad II was also listed among the inactives, leaving the Bears to sort the backfield around Ahmed as the night began. The cleanest reading of the move is simple: Chicago wanted another available running back for a nationally televised game, and Monangai's expected return did not survive into kickoff.
