Khalil Herbert

Herbert probably won't emerge as three-down back for the Bears, due both to competition in the backfield (D'Onta Foreman, Travis Homer, Roschon Johnson) and because Herbert has never demonstrated much passing-down acumen. Herbert is definitely a slippery runner, though – he's been as much with the Bears through two seasons, rushing for 1,164 yards and six touchdowns on 232 carries (5.0 YPC). He consistently stood out as a runner for Virginia Tech and Kansas in college, too. With that said, if Herbert can't improve his passing-down skills he won't be on the field often enough to take full advantage of his definite running skills. The 235-pound Foreman is convincing as a pure runner himself, and notably offers a clearer power element than Herbert, who is more elusive than brutish at 212 pounds. Perhaps as important, Homer and Johnson are probably superior passing-down options. Herbert is one of those players who usually does something useful once he gets the ball; his challenge is simply securing the necessary snap count to create that opportunity.

A sixth-round pick last year, Herbert used Tarik Cohen's absence as a springboard to a roster spot, and when David Montgomery got hurt as well, the rookie emerged as a capable lead back. After getting only nine offensive snaps through the first four games, Herbert piled up 344 rushing yards and a touchdown in a four-week stretch in the season's second month, but then didn't see more than four carries in a game once Montgomery was healthy again. Herbert is a compact, powerful runner with patience and burst, and he was adequate as a pass catcher when given the opportunity. Chicago added center Lucas Patrick to a mediocre offensive line this offseason, which should help the running game, but the biggest change comes in the form of a new coaching staff. Matt Eberflus replaces Matt Nagy as head coach, and new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy comes from a Packers system that emphasized a committee approach to the backfield over having a bell cow. That could result in more touches for Herbert alongside Montgomery, rather than having to wait for an injury, but it's the development of Justin Fields that will determine how many of those are high-value opportunities.

Herbert showed out in his one year at Virginia Tech after transferring from Kansas, racking up nearly 1,200 rushing yards on 7.6 yards per carry, and as a result he was taken in the sixth round by the Bears. A physical runner at 5-9 and 210 lbs., Herbert has the power and burst to grind out yards between the tackles and get to the corner on outside runs, but his lack of elusiveness and top-end speed limits his ability to be a big-play threat in the pros. He's also purely an early-down option, as he's not a natural receiver and has a lot of work to do in pass protection to earn snaps in those situations. With David Montgomery, Damien Williams and even the bigger Ryan Nall ahead of him on the Chicago depth chart, there isn't much of a path to significant snaps as a rookie for Herbert, but he's athletic enough to carve out a role on special teams.