2024 NFL trade deadline: The Bengals acquire RB Khalil Herbert in a deal with the Bears

The Cincinnati Bengals are adding some depth to their backfield. According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, the club executed a trade on the morning of the NFL trade deadline to acquire veteran running back Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears. Chicago receives a 2025 seventh-round pick in exchange for Herbert.

At that time, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced that running back Zack Moss would be out indefinitely with a neck injury. Moss missed last week’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and this signing of Herbert not only secures Cincinnati but also potentially portends a long absence for the veteran defenseman.

In Herbert, the Bengals get a capable runner who has over 2,000 yards rushing in his career. This season, he has fallen out of favor in the Bears’ backfield with the arrival of D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, proving more of a trade asset for Chicago than an on-field contributor. In Week 9, Herbert carried the ball just eight times for 16 yards and a touchdown while playing 7% of the offensive snaps.

However, prior to this season, Herbert had had impressive results. The 2021 sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech has totaled at least 700 yards from scrimmage in consecutive seasons while averaging 5.1 yards per carry during that 2022-23 span.

He will now work behind Chase Brown in the Bengals’ backfield. Last week, Brown rushed for 120 yards on 27 carries.