This Chicago Bears player does not appear to have a long-term future with the team

The timing for Khalil Herbert to be due a contract could not be worse. Herbert has one year left on his rookie salary deal, and will likely be entering free agency this offseason. As he enters the 2024 season, his value is lower than ever, and he may not get a legitimate chance to change that with the Chicago Bears. 

Khalil Herbert will struggle to see the field for the Chicago Bears in 2024

Herbert was a rotational back as a rookie in 2021. Then, in 2022, he was in a similar role, but the offense started to hit for him. Herbert went from 103 carries to 129 and went from 433 rushing yards to 731. That went from a 4.2 yards per attempt average up to 5.7 yards per attempt. 

This caused the front office to let Herbert take on the lead role for the first time in his career in 2023. However, when he got his chance, the line and offense in general were a mess. Herbert struggled to get going. In weeks four and five he posted his two best starts, and of course, they were followed up by an injury that caused him to miss five games. 

In the four games after his injury, he had just 31 carries for 75 yards. He finished the year with two strong games, against Arizona and Atlanta, but so did the entire offense. Then, like the rest of the offense, he fell apart against Green Bay. 

The reality with Herbert is that he can have a role in the offense as a big-play hitter when he gets mixed in with limited work. The issue here is that the team signed D’Andre Swift, who is far less a compliment to Herbert, and much closer to an upgrade. 

Swift has the same speed, and big play ability with the same questions of durability and lasting between tackles. The big difference is that Swift brings more to the passing game. 

When you start to break the snap counts down and see who will be touching the ball it is hard to find the right work for Herbert. When they need a different style from Swift they will go with Roschon Johnson, who brings more power. 

So, Herbert is now entering the last year of his rookie salary, his first chance to get extended work led to an injury and missed time, and this year he may see the lowest workload of his career. The Bears are not concerned with Herbert getting any sort of payday, and his market will not be pretty this offseason.