The Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears agreed to terms on a deal that will put running back Khalil Herbert in the Cincy backfield for the stretch run. This was the first move on the offensive side of the ball to begin Tuesday's trade deadline action, and there will likely be plenty more where that came from.
As for this deal, let's see who came out on top and grade the trade!
The trade
- Bengals get: Khalil Herbert
- Bears get: 2025 seventh-round pick
(via CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones)
The grades
Bengals: B
The Bengals needed another running back after Zack Moss was ruled out indefinitely after suffering a neck injury. Chase Brown showed last week that he is capable of carrying a major workload after totaling 120 yards rushing on 27 carries, but a secondary option was needed. Herbert provides that, and while he hasn't been playing much this season behind D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson with the Bears, he has a history of success in the league. He's averaging 4.8 yards per carry in his career and has over 2,000 total yards from scrimmage to go along with 11 total touchdowns. As a complementary option behind Brown, this is a savvy addition for Cincinnati to stabilize the backfield at little cost.
Bears: C-
No one is going to be truly jumping up and down when a 2025 seventh-round pick comes through the door, but it's a fine return for Chicago, considering that Herbert was a nonfactor in their backfield. On top of that, the back is in the final year of his deal, so he's strictly looked at as a rental piece for any possible trade partner, which limits the return. Still, given Cincinnati's need for a back following Moss' injury, you'd hope that the Bears could squeeze maybe a sixth-rounder in the deal for a player who does have prior success in the league, but that may be asking too much considering those other factors.