Khalil Herbert celebrates his first career touchdown Sunday against the Packers. | Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
If Herbert plays Sunday the way he did the previous two weeks — with a physical style that belies his 5-9, 212-pound frame and a patience beyond his 23 years — the Bears will be forced to find some role for him.
For the first time in a long time, Bears running back Khalil Herbert isn’t playing fantasy football this year.
“I’ve got a lot going on,” he said with a smile.
His friends, though, still play. They picked the rookie up off the waiver wire last week and started him against the Packers. They were pleased with the result — 19 carries for 97 yards and his first career touchdown– and texted him afterward about their teams.
“They’ve been sending me screenshots,” he said.
They’ll keep Herbert on their rosters again Sunday, even though he’s facing the NFL’s best rushing defense. After the Buccaneers’ game, though, Herbert’s role is anybody’s guess.
Damien Williams figures to return to his complimentary role if he comes off the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday. And David Montgomery, one of the Bears’ best players, is eligible to return off injured reserve next week after spraining his knee.
If Herbert plays Sunday the way he did the previous two weeks — with a physical style that belies his 5-9, 212-pound frame and a patience beyond his 23 years — the Bears will be forced to find some role for him. The Bears, though, aren’t ready to entertain how much Herbert will play — if at all — when Montgomery comes back. This week, running backs coach Michael Pitre would only say that the Bears will figure it out “when those guys are back and we’re presented with having some really good players” on the roster.
“You’ve seen him grow throughout camp — you’ve seen him grow throughout the first few weeks of the season too,” guard Cody Whitehair said. “He’s really seeing the field well. He’s seeing the running lanes really well. So we’re really excited about him.”
It all still feels a bit surreal to the sixth-round pick.
Two years ago, Herbert decided to stop playing at Kansas four games into his senior season — just in time to be eligible for a redshirt. He eventually decided to leave the school altogether, calling it a “business decision” after coming to believe “I wasn’t used properly.”
He landed at Virginia Tech as a graduate transfer and became the centerpiece of their offense. His 1,182 rushing yards were fifth-most in the country and his 7.7 yards per carry were fourth-most.
His transfer was controversial among Kansas fans. But it wound up being the best thing he’s ever done. Herbert’s thought about it the last few weeks while looking at Snapchat, which showed photos of what he was doing at this time last year.
“I play that what-if game a lot too — What if I stayed? What if I didn’t? … ” he said. “[Virginia Tech] really put me in a position to be where I am right now and helped me out a lot. It’s the biggest blessing, I feel like, going there and doing what I did.”
The Bears drafted him to return kicks. But they were impressed by his running style in training camp — his willingness to plow forward but also his vision to cut the run back when he sees a hole.
“He’s a really quick decision-maker,” coach Matt Nagy said. “So when he makes decisions and sticks a foot in the ground and hits it with that low contact balance, he’s hard to bring down.”
The Buccaneers bring rushers down better than any team on earth. Herbert leans on the mantra the Bears running back room uses: “famine, famine, feast.” Little runs beget longer ones.
“His confidence is going to grow every day every snap he gets,” Nagy said. “And I just love his demeanor. He’s a team player. Not really vocal or loud or anything like that. But he’s just a really good running back.”
