Chicago Bears trade RB Khalil Herbert to the Bengals

Khalil Herbert's time with the Chicago Bears is officially over.

The Bears traded the backup running back to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday morning in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick, according to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero .

The move provides depth for a Bengals squad that just lost Zack Moss to a neck injury and should challenge second-year back Chase Brown for a role in the Bengals' backfield.

For Chicago, it returns some value for a player who no longer fit their plans.

A former sixth-round pick of the Bears in 2021, the former Oregon Duck gained 1,175 rushing yards and scored eight touchdowns in his first three seasons with Chicago but fell out of favor in 2024, putting up just 16 yards and one score on eight carries.

The Bears will now rely on second-year back Roschon Johnson to spell D'Andre Swift, who has firmly established himself as the Bears' leading rusher in recent weeks.

The trade is also another example of general manager Ryan Poles re-shaping the roster and filtering out some of the final remaining players from Ryan Pace's regime. Such moves have already impacted the running back room recently with the Bears opting to allow David Montgomery to depart in free agency for the Detroit Lions , where he's currently thriving for the NFC North leaders.

Hopefully, Chicago doesn't have to watch Herbert break out in a similar way alongside Joe Burrow while its own offense remains stuck in the mud.