For just the third time in franchise history, the Cincinnati Bengals have made an in-season trade. Cincinnati acquired running back Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, fortifying their backfield ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Bengals’ deal for Herbert.
Grading the Bengals’ Trade for Bears RB Khalil Herbert
The Bengals didn’t have to sacrifice much to land Herbert from the Bears. Here are the full details of Tuesday’s trade:
- Bengals acquire: RB Khalil Herbert
- Bears acquire: 2025 seventh-round pick
Cincinnati needed another running back after Zack Moss suffered a neck injury during practice leading up to Week 9. Moss was inactive for Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders and is sidelined indefinitely.
Moss’ absence led to Chase Brown’s first bell-cow workload. Brown set career highs in attempts (27) and rushing yards (120), adding five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown in Week 9. Still, Taylor suggested in his post-game press conference that Brown needed a tag-team partner.
#Bengals HC Zac Taylor on whether he’s worried about wear and tear on Chase Brown, with Zack Moss sidelined:
“I think it’s important that you have another guy that can take some of the work off of him — whether that’s a couple carries, whether that’s some other snaps in some… pic.twitter.com/Bjbs2BHBir
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) November 4, 2024
Herbert, the 26-year-old who’s been the subject of trade rumors dating back to last year, can fill that role. He finished ninth in attempts per broken tackle (10.2) and 11th in yards after contact per attempt (2.1) in 2023, suggesting he can generate his own yardage.
However, the Bears didn’t seem to have a role for the former sixth-round pick in 2024. Herbert had fallen behind D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson on Chicago’s depth chart and has played fewer offensive snaps than Travis Homer this year.
Herbert will cost the Bengals roughly $500,000 over the remainder of the season before hitting free agency in 2025. Cincinnati had $9.2 million in salary cap space entering Tuesday.
The Bengals are 4-5, while PFN’s Playoff Predictor gives them just a 15.7% chance of making the postseason. However, that may not prevent them from making another deal today. The Athletic recently reported that Cincinnati could be in the market for a defensive lineman or cornerback.
- Bengals grade: A-
- Bears grade: B-
Fantasy Impact of Bengals’ Trade for Herbert
In Week 9, Brown finished as the RB4 in PPR formats. With no one threatening him for touches against a weak Raiders defense, Brown had a field day on the ground and through the air.
He’s clearly an explosive player. In 2023, Brown reached 22.05 miles per hour on a screen pass touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts, the second-fastest time for a ball carrier all season.
A fifth-round pick out of Illinois in 2023, Brown will still be Cincinnati’s lead back and have productive games down the stretch. However, Herbert’s addition undoubtedly caps his upside over the rest of the year.
Brown had already been overtaking Moss before the latter went down this week, but he had only played over 50% of the Bengals’ snaps in two games.
Cincinnati’s RB split could look similar to its 2022 breakdown, when Joe Mixon finished with 56.3% playing time and Samaje Perine played 40.5% of the club’s snaps.
Per PFF, Herbert has allowed just one sack on 103 career pass-blocking reps. He’s also averaged 6.5 yards per reception on 61 career targets. Herbert could take over the Bengals’ passing-down role, which would negate some of Brown’s value in PPR leagues.