Bears Trade Pitch Sends ‘Intriguing’ 1,700-Yard RB to Cowboys for Pick

Getty Bears running back Khalil Herbert.

The Chicago Bears have pushed former starting running back Khalil Herbert into the background over the first two months of the 2024 season, but they might be able to give him a fresh start elsewhere before this year’s NFL trade deadline.

Herbert has rushed for 1,791 yards and nine touchdowns over 48 career games, but the Bears have turned away from him in favor of notable free agent signing D’Andre Swift and second-year Roschon Johnson to begin the season with no signs of changing back.

While the Swift-Johnson combination is working for the Bears, the situation is not ideal for Herbert in the final year of his rookie contract. He has just eight carries for 16 yards and has played just 27 total offensive snaps over the first six games of the season. By comparison, he had 51 carries for 272 yards in the first five games of the 2023 season.

If Bears general manager Ryan Poles wants to continue to “do right” by his players — as he did when figuring out where to trade quarterback Justin Fields during the offseason — he should commit to exploring trade options for Herbert over the next few weeks in the build-up to the NFL’s trade deadline at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on November 5.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell even concocted an ideal trade scenario for both sides, pitching a deal with the Dallas Cowboys that would net a 2025 sixth-round pick for Herbert.

“Herbert is probably not the sort of back to shoulder a workload of 20 carries per game, but among the 46 players with 300 carries or more between 2021 and 2023, his 4.9 yards-per-carry average ranks seventh,” Barnwell wrote on October 17. “He generated 189 RYOE over that stretch, which ranked 11th among all backs.”

Khalil Herbert Could Thrive in New Role With Cowboys

The Cowboys refused to properly invest in their backfield during the 2024 offseason, and their shortcomings have been dramatically evident throughout their 3-3 start.

At the onset of Week 7, the Cowboys have the worst rushing offense in the NFL with an average of just 77.2 rushing yards per game — more than two yards behind every other team in the NFL through the first six weeks. Veteran Ezekiel Elliott has been a dud for them, averaging a career-low 3.0 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Rico Dowdle has shown flashes but has only recorded double-digit carries in two of their first six games.

To avoid letting their season slip away, the Cowboys could be highly motivated to add more help to their backfield without giving up premium draft assets. Enter Herbert, who has averaged 4.8 yards per carry over his career and has thrived in the past in a committee role with David Montgomery, D’Onta Foreman and Johnson.

While Herbert struggles as a blocker and is not the strongest as a goal-line option, he is highly efficient outside of the red zone and has a pass-catching component to his game that could add another receiving option for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Owner Jerry Jones would also not need to break the bank to acquire Herbert, who would cost less than $1 million for the rest of the season with no obligations beyond 2024.

The Cowboys currently own just one sixth-round pick in 2025, but they could land at least one more through the compensatory pick formula. Even if they don’t, trading off a sixth-rounder for the chance to revitalize their backfield could prove worth the risk.

Vikings ‘Had Dialogue’ About Trade for Khalil Herbert

While Barnwell’s trade proposal between the Bears and Cowboys for Herbert is only hypothetical, the Bears have already garnered some trade interest in Herbert.

According to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, the Minnesota Vikings attempted to trade for Herbert before agreeing to terms on a deal with the Houston Texans for Cam Akers.

“I’m led to believe the Vikings preferred Khalil Herbert,” Wolfson said on SKOR North on October 17. “One hundred percent confirmed: The Vikings had dialogue with Chicago. Absolutely had interest in Herbert; it wasn’t Cam Akers or bust.”

While Wolfson did not detail what the Vikings offered to the Bears, they would have likely wanted to give up something similar to what they gave the Texans — a 2026 conditional sixth-round pick in exchange for Akers and a 2026 conditional seventh-round pick. The Bears may have simply not wanted to deal one of their former starters to an NFC North rival, but it is possible they wanted more immediate draft capital.