Bears Trade Proposal Sees NFC Contender Pay Premium for Khalil Herbert

The stalemate the Chicago Bears have built in their backfield may force them to part ways with running back Khalil Herbert before the 2024 season officially begins. Despite Herbert’s impressive play, the Bears have added D’Andre Swift as their new starter and have Roschon Johnson, a 2023 fourth-round pick, waiting in the wings.

But maybe the Bears can force a deal with the Dallas Cowboys if they make it through training camp and find themselves with the wonderful problem of having too many talented backs.

The NFL community was mostly expected the Cowboys to pursue Tony Pollard’s replacement in the 2024 NFL draft after they declined to re-sign him throughout the offseason. Rather, the Cowboys signed former starter Ezekiel Elliott and did not draft any new running backs, which put one of the NFC’s best playoff hopefuls in jeopardy.

To get a clearer idea of how bad their backfield situation is, it appears the Cowboys are watching how their young backs perform in training camp. Rico Dowdle had only seven carries in his prior three seasons, all of which occurred in 2020. However, in his busiest season of 2023, he averaged 4.1 yards on 89 carries.

Deuce Vaughn, a sixth-round pick in 2023, will also be trying to recover off a difficult rookie campaign with the Cowboys, where he only managed to rush 23 times for 40 yards.

But by the 53-man cut deadline in late August, if neither back can inspire much trust in the Cowboys’ brass, the Bears might not only be able to get their Herbert’s attention, but they coerce him into charging more for his services.