When it comes to success in the NFL, superstars may dominate the conversation, but more often than not, it’s the guys you don’t know who make the plays needed. when is They are needed. Such players can be rated low for all reasons. Perhaps they play in a small market, and the media is not properly reporting their exploits. Maybe they’re hidden deep in the chart behind big names that might not do that much. Or, maybe a coach never knew that someone needed height to get the best results for the team.
Whatever the reason, we at SB Nation always love to bring you the most underrated names. Offseason hidden gems and the then-Secret Superstars series.
And with that in mind, here are our NFC Secret Superstars for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season. And if you haven’t already, Download the new SB Nation appYou can better read and comment about our stuff wherever you are!
Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has never received the credit he deserves for designing one of the best and most versatile running games in the NFL.
That was the case from 2022 to 2024 when David Montgomery and Jahmir Gibbs ran with Johnson as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinators, and that’s the case now. Everyone wants to talk about Caleb Williams’ explosive passing plays and overall development, and that’s understandable, but Johnson is right up there with Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay and no one as a running game genius, and that was never more evident than in Chicago’s 59-37 demolition of the Carolina Panthers’ defense in Week 1.
Not only bears Set a franchise record for most points scored in a season opener – You’ve been involved in one of the most impressive but highest-scoring Week 1 games in pro football history since your franchise played in one form or another since 1920. Yes, Williams was impressive through the air, completing 21 of 29 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 124.1.
All well and good, but it was the Bears’ running game that suited the Panthers, with 39 carries for 291 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and six rushing touchdowns. D’Andre Swift was the main man with 18 carries for 129 yards and three scores, but it was sophomore Kyle Monangay who was explosive. He gained 100 yards on 10 carries, and averaged 8.4 yards per catch. Most of that came on his 61-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, but you can see it on tape.
The ways that tight end Cole Kmet and receivers Jahdae Walker and Luther Burden III were blocked on the play all tell you everything you need to know about how much everyone in the build values a guy who runs the game.
“I saw Jahdey make the sack and make sure that wasn’t just a big play, it was a touchdown. Raymond said postgame.. “I mean, it’s a big play for Kyle, but Jehada is taking guys out there to make sure it happens. I mean, it goes from the big play to the touchdown. That’s a testament to the guys’ blocking. I think Lou has a big block.”
And the plans they have. Bears opponents already know what others are waking up to – if all Ben Johnson has done is design the field game, it’s worth paying attention to.
Osa Odighizuwa, DL, San Francisco 49ers
Last season, the 49ers’ pass rush paid off with and without Nick Bosa, who missed the last 14 games of the 2025 regular season with a torn ACL, which is what you’d expect.
On the field with Bosa (65 faced the opposite failure)
- 3 bags (4.62% of bag size)
- 26 pressures (40.0% pressure rate)
Outside the field with Bosa (569 faced the opposite failure)
- 17 sacks (2.99% sack price)
- 172 pressures (30.23% pressure rate)
This was not the only proof of Bosa’s greatness. It was a sad statement for the rest of the defensive line as well. Bryce Huff led the team with 5 sacks and 46 total pressures, while only Huff and fellow linebacker Sam O’Quinnon had more than 30 pressures. San Francisco’s interior defensive line was particularly problematic against the pass rush — Jordan Elliott, Alfred Collins, C.J. West, Kalea Davis and Kevin Ginns. Combined For four sacks and 55 pressures, and your pass rush’s overall gut is that light, it’s a tough problem.
That’s why in March the 49ers traded a 2026 draft pick for former Dallas Cowboys inside linebacker Osa Odigizuwa and a four-year, $80 million contract through 2025. Odigizuwa is a relative bargain at $5.122 million in 2026.But if he’s still on the roster, both obligations in 2027 and 2028 will be up to $23.407 million.
Based on the 6’2″, 280-pound Odigizuwa’s debut with the 49ers, when his new team defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 in Melbourne, Australia, there shouldn’t be any worries about living up to his contract. Defense – And that played against the Rams. While Odigizuwa didn’t have a sack, all five of his quarterback pressures resulted in Matthew Stafford’s incompletion.
It would be great if you had a cornerback who guaranteed an o-fer from the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player every time he participated in the game, wouldn’t it? In this case, Osa Odigizuwa’s ability to blow things up on multiple gaps stands out as long as you pay more attention than the sack total.
Tyler Owens, special teams, Washington Chiefs
How often do special teams play?
Washington put the Phillies on fourth-and-18 from their own 19-yard line with 8:57 left in the first half of the Washington Chiefs’ final 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. That gave Chiefs safety Tyler Owens a chance to explode through a double-team “vice” that included receiver Darius Cooper and cornerback Jonathan Jones, and on a 12-yard return, he delivered a perfect burst on Michael Carter II.
It was a valiant effort, and Chiefs head coach Dan Quinn had something to say about it on Monday.
“I didn’t see the start of the game on the field,” Quinn recalled. “Maybe he was cornered like he hit the deputy to go down the field, but I saw the tackle. And he made a play on the punt earlier, and he fumbled in the same spot and that’s where he went in. So when they’re trying to hurt you, that’s a good sign of a tackler.”
“But it was one of the plays that I’m most proud of, but he’s a guy who’s always had that speed and tension, but it was great to see it come together. And he was like, ‘Oh, thanks, man.’ That’s what I do. You know, it was like no big deal. And you’re like, ‘Man, this is a great thing, and it was a lot of fun to play. After the network feed. And it was definitely one of my favorite plays on special teams in a long time.
Owens had a similar game earlier in the match. With 7:42 left in the first quarter, the Chiefs punted on fourth-and-10 from their own six-yard line, and that’s when Owens spun around to stop Britannia Covey for a one-yard loss.
Everyone loved what the 2024 free agent quarterback from Texas Tech did.
Owens only has 67 regular-season snaps in his NFL career, but if he continues to dominate on special teams like this, he will absolutely stick around and remain a vital part of Washington’s roster.
