Stat of the Jay: Trade Acquisition Khalil Herbert Brings Numbers and Then Some to Bengals

Jay Morrison | Nov 5, 2024

Aug 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears running back Khalil Herbert (24) runs the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – Desperation often can sabotage trade talks, where leverage is a key commodity.

But the Cincinnati Bengals – who indeed were desperate to add running back depth after what appears to be a season-ending neck injury for Zack Moss – not only found a way to get what they needed today, but they did so without getting fleeced.

Acquiring Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears for a seventh-round pick is a trade with far greater value than they last time they pulled off a deadline-deal move.

That was 2020, when the Bengals again were desperate to sever ties with Carlos Dunlap and his growing disgruntlement. They settled for a backup offensive linemen B.J. Finney and a seventh-round pick.

Finney played two special teams snaps in his Bengals career, while the seventh rounder became Wyatt Hubert, who never played a down in the NFL.

Dunlap went on to play three more seasons while recording 17.5 sacks and winning a Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The most important stat Khalil can provide the Bengals – and that the Bengals can provide Herbert – might be snaps.

The Bears drafted Roschon Johnson last year and signed D'Andre Swift in free agency this past offseason, resulting in a steep decline in snaps for Herbert, who didn't play at all the last two weeks as a healthy scratch.

With Moss inactive Sunday, Chase Brown logged a career-high 27 rushes for a career-high 120 yards while also catching five passes for 37 yards.

That type of workload is not sustainable for the 5-10, 210-pound Brown, who suffered a rib injury in the game.

The injury is not expected to prevent him from practicing or playing, but it was an flashing neon reminder that the Bengals need another back they can count on to share the workload, and their only other options on the roster are Trayveon Williams (62 career carries) and Kendall Milton (five career snaps).

Brown became just the fourth player in the league this year to record 32 touches in a game.

The others:

• New Orleans’ Alvin Kamar, 35, last week at Carolina
• Houston’s Joe Mixon, 33, Week 1 vs. Indianapolis
• Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs, 32, Week 2 vs. Indianapolis

Brown’s 32 touches were tied for the most by a Cincinnati player in a non-overtime game in the Joe Burrow era.

Mixon also had 32 in a 41-10 victory against the Steelers in 2021.

Before that?

You have to go all the way back to 2009 to find a game where a Bengals player had at least 32 in a game. Cedric Benson did it three times that season, with workloads of 38, 37 and 34 touches.

It’s doubtful that Herbert will be able to get up to speed to take some touches away from Brown on Thursday night in Baltimore. But a crash course of the mini bye week and a full slate of practices next week should have him ready to contribute in the Nov. 17 game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.

Herbert is not a great run blocker and rarely plays on third downs, so don’t expect him to settle into that sort of split role with Brown.

The 2021 sixth-round pick is coming to Cincinnati to carry the ball on early downs and occasionally catch passes out of the backfield to reduce the wear and tear on Brown.

A key for today; Get Khalil Herbert going finally.

If #Bears can get Herbert going after Week 4 of Johnson & Swift, they’ll run all over the 29th ranked rush defense in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/dWZLA56IAB

— Just Another Year Chicago: Bears (@JAYChi_Bears) October 6, 2024

Some more stats of relevance for Herbert:

In 2023, he averaged 3.03 yards after contact. That ranked 15th in the league.

Zack Moss was 36th (2.81), and Mixon was 50th (2.51).

Since getting drafted in 2021, Herbert had 43 receptions for 287 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears. Forty percent of his receptions resulted in first downs. That’s the 12th highest rate among running backs with at least 40 receptions during that span.

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