Why isn’t Chicago Bears RB Khalil Herbert playing? Should the Bears trade him?

LAKE FOREST – Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders, the Chicago Bears announced six inactive players who would not be suiting up for the game. NFL teams dress only 48 players on game day, so every week there are a handful of inactive players.

Last week, that list included Khalil Herbert. The 26-year-old running back was not injured. He was simply a healthy scratch for the game.

For Bears fans, it probably wasn’t a huge surprise. Things had been trending this way for several weeks. Herbert hasn’t been given a handoff or made a reception since Week 3. He has been buried on the running back depth chart behind starter D’Andre Swift and second-year pro Roschon Johnson.

Still, if this were two years ago Bears fans would be shocked to hear that Herbert is a healthy scratch. In 2022, Herbert was the most efficient running back in the NFL. In his second NFL season, he led all running backs with 5.7 yards per carry on 129 attempts. He finished the season with 731 rushing yards and four touchdowns. NFL Next Gen Stats’ efficiency model rated him among the top-five most efficient running backs.

Even last season, Herbert was heavily used. He went into the 2023 season as the starting running back and led all Bears backs with 132 attempts and 611 rushing yards, although an ankle injury caused him to miss five games.

This year, with the addition of Swift via a three-year, $24.5 million free agent contract, as well as the hiring of a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron, Herbert hasn’t seen nearly as many opportunities. So far, he has just eight carries for 16 yards and one touchdown. He has added two receptions for four yards. This is after he spent all of training camp repping with the second-team offense.

With running back and special teamer Travis Homer coming off injured reserve last week, the Bears had four backs (Swift, Herbert, Johnson and Homer) and room for only three on the game day roster. With Johnson and Homer being major contributors on special teams, it left Herbert as the odd man out.

It’s hard even for the running back room, there’s just not enough footballs to hand to everybody. So if you’re not going to be the starter, you have to play special teams.”

—  Chad Morton, Bears running back coach

“It’s going to come down to the role on the team,” Bears running backs coach Chad Morton said this week. “Special teams is a big part of that, too. It’s hard even for the running back room, there’s just not enough footballs to hand to everybody. So if you’re not going to be the starter, you have to play special teams.”

Herbert, who declined to comment for this story, has served as a kick returner in the past, but he typically hasn’t done any other special teams jobs. Johnson and Homer are solid blockers and excellent tacklers. With DeAndre Carter handling kick return duties, there’s not really any opportunities for Herbert on special teams right now.

“He’s done a tremendous job of just being a pro,” Morton said. “I love that guy to death man. He still works hard every single time, takes all the scout team reps, hasn’t complained one time. You can see the sadness, he’s a human, too, he wants to play, he wants to be active, he wants to help.”

With Herbert, a 2021 sixth-round draft pick, in the final year of his four-year rookie contract, it’s fair to wonder if the Bears would consider trading him. The NFL trade deadline is rapidly approaching at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Running back has one of the higher rates of injury in the NFL. There’s not a team in the league that doesn’t want to bolster its running back position. But the same could be said of the Bears. They are one injury away from really needing Herbert.

“He will get an opportunity at some point, so you just have to keep him ready to go and so when he does, he takes full advantage of it,” Morton said.

Still, if the right offer came along Bears general manager Ryan Poles probably would at least consider it.