Explaining why the Bengals defied their own convention and traded for Bears RB Khalil Herbert
No, you're not dreaming. The Cincinnati Bengals actually made a deal at the NFL trade deadline. As first reported by NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the Bengals are acquiring running back Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears. Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Bengals are sending a seventh-round pick in return for Herbert. It's the first time […]
No, you're not dreaming. The Cincinnati Bengals actually made a deal at the NFL trade deadline.
As first reported by NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the Bengals are acquiring running back Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears.
Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Bengals are sending a seventh-round pick in return for Herbert. It's the first time in franchise history they've completed a draft pick-for-player exchange at the deadline. No player-for-player swap. No trading away a player for a pick. Straight up sacrificing draft capital of the future for a known commodity.
A fourth-year player originally drafted in the sixth round by Chicago, Herbert was a steady producer during the first three years of his time with the Bears. He entered this season with 1,775 yards and eight touchdowns on 364 attempts, but the club had signed D'Andre Swift to start and 2023 draft pick Roschon Johnson asserted himself as the second option behind him, leaving Herbert with a diminished role in a contract year.
Herbert rushed for 16 yards on eight carries in the first three weeks and hasn't touched the ball since. He was even a healthy inactive for the last two weeks, indicating his time in Chicago was nearing an end.
So why is Cincinnati giving up a draft pick to acquire him? A few reasons stand out.
Zack Moss' injury created a big need for the Bengals
Late last week, Bengals starting running back Zack Moss what NFL Media's Garafolo reports as a season-ending neck injury and missed Friday's practice. Per Fowler, this is when the Bengals started calling other teams about trading for a running back.
Moss ended up not playing on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, giving Chase Brown a full workload for the first time in his NFL career. Brown thrived by posting 120 yards on 27 carries as no other running back even touched the ball for Cincinnati, but he also suffered a bruised rib according to head coach Zac Taylor.
Clearly, the Bengals had no trust in reserves Trayveon Williams and rookie Kendall Milton, who was active for his first NFL game. They needed someone new to pair with Brown if Moss' injury is going to keep him out for a while.
Herbert proved to be an efficient runner during his first three years with the Bears. In fact, he would rank first on the Bengals in most metrics that define a running back's ability to create on his own.
Sharing the load with Brown will be an important task for Herbert, but the times when he doesn't carry the ball while on the field will also be critical moments for him.
Herbert isn't great in pass protection, but better than who they had
Moss' main value as the season progressed became his ability in pass protection. Through the first eight weeks of the season, he took 51 snaps in pass pro compared to Brown's five. The Bengals trusted him in that role, and no one else on the roster was able to fill it. Brown, Williams, and Milton all took a crack at it on Sunday, and the results weren't great.
Yikes. That was Williams' chance to shine, and he proved why a move needed to be made.
Herbert has 96 career reps in pass protection and has allowed one sack, one hit, and seven hurries. He earned that role immediately as a rookie back in 2021 and maintained in during the three years he was involved in the offense.
He's not a perfect fix, but he's better than who Cincinnati had available yesterday.
Keeping the run game alive is crucial for the Bengals' offense
Brown's big day against the Raiders was one of the main reasons why the Bengals won convincingly. The offense moved the ball consistently on the ground, setting up red zone opportunities for quarterback Joe Burrow to finish with his arm. It was the team's best rushing performance in over a month; it's no coincidence the offense looked better as a whole because of it.
With Moss no longer an option for the season, a true replacement was needed to ensure Brown doesn't carry the ball too much every week and tire himself out towards the end of the season. Pass protection is the important cherry on top.
Brown will still be leading the ground attack with Herbert, but this move should prevent him from wearing down while ensuring the offense still has a capable rusher and protector in the backfield.
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