Bears third-year rusher primed for breakout season
The Chicago Bears are undergoing major changes in their backfield this offseason after seeing veteran RB David Montgomery depart in free agency. Third-year rusher Khalil Herbert is expected to take over the starting role and could be primed for a breakout season.
Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus recently listed Herbert as a third-year breakout candidate for the upcoming season. Herbert forced 47 missed tackles on 232 carries and another seven on 23 receptions over the past two seasons, per PFF.
With enough touches, McGuinness believes Herbert could surpass 1,000 rushing yards in 2023, and there is plenty of evidence to back up that claim.
The 2021 sixth-round pick racked up 731 rushing yards on 129 carries in 2022 despite playing in only 13 games with one start. Herbert's 5.7 yards per carry led all RBs in the NFL last season.
Although Herbert found his success in a small sample size, he is expected to have an expanded role in 2023 and could establish himself as a top rusher with more playing time. Herbert will have to fend off another talent in Chicago's backfield, though.
The Bears selected Texas RB Roschon Johnson in the fourth round of this year's draft. Johnson, a 6-foot, 219-pound bruiser has been impressing onlookers at OTAs. But then again, so has Herbert.
Herbert showed up to OTAs with an extra five pounds of muscle after strengthening his core this offseason, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. He also took up boxing this offseason to work on his "punch time" and improve in pass protection.
When asked about Herbert, HC Matt Eberflus mentioned the runner's "ability to hit the home run."
"He’s got great vision," Eberflus said to The Athletic. "He’s got great cut-back ability. He can take the ball outside and bounce it outside, but he’s really good at cutting it back when it’s there. We’re excited where he is."
Although Herbert looked impressive during his sophomore season, he fully understands that there is a competition he must win this offseason to take over as the starter.
"Every day, you gotta compete," Herbert said at OTAs. "You gotta compete. And I come in with the mindset, you know, obviously, I want to be the starter. Just coming in with the mindset of leading and doing what I gotta do and doing what I do every day that I've been doing. I feel like things will work out."
If Herbert can string together a solid summer of practices, he should find himself in position to assume the starting job in Chicago's backfield. Herbert will look to pick up where he left off last season and hit the ground running in 2023, aiming to be the Bears' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2020.
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