The Chicago Bears running back room has been a big talking point this offseason. New head coach Ben Johnson emphasized the value of the position while with the Detroit Lions, using a multi-back system that headlined one of the best offenses in the league over the last two years.
Over the last year, Chicago’s running back room has taken a twirl, as only one of the backs from their 2023 offense remains on the team: former fourth-round pick Roschon Johnson.
The Bears brought in D’Andre Swift on a multi-year deal last offseason while letting go of D’onta Foreman in free agency. Then, they moved off Khalil Herbert at the trade deadline to the Cincinnati Bengals for a Day 3 draft pick.
Original trade terms
Cincinnati receives: RB Khalil Herbert
Chicago receives: 2025 seventh-round pick (No. 233)
What did the Bears do with the pick?
The Bears went and selected another running back, taking Rutgers’ Kyle Monangai with the 233rd overall pick in 2025.
How did each team fare from the trade?
In a minor trade deadline deal, the Bengals added Khalil Herbert for a seventh-round pick, looking to bolster their running back room.
At the time, Cincinnati had lost top back Zack Moss to a neck injury, placing him on Injured Reserve and opening up the need for another running back. They got Herbert for a cheap price, but didn’t get much production out of the deal.
Herbert played in eight games for the Bengals, getting 28 carries for 114 yards and zero touchdowns. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry.
He essentially became the backup running back to Chase Brown, who took over the bell-cow role with Moss’s injury. Herbert didn’t get much volume over his first six games in Cincinnati, averaging less than one touch a contest.