Colts Sign Former Bears Offensive Playmaker: Film

The Indianapolis Colts' spending spree is off of the rails at this point, as Chris Ballard has signed yet another veteran player to a contract. This time, they nabbed Khalil Herbert, a running back with nearly 2,000 career rushing yards. Herbert, 26, is coming off a season where he logged snaps for both the Chicago Bears and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Herbert burst on to the scene with the Bears, rushing for nearly 1,800 yards in his three full seasons with the team. The Bears opted to trade him early last season, due to other additions at the position, and Herbert served as the Bengals' third running back to close out the year. For his career, Herbert has averaged 4.8 yards per carry with his best season being when he averaged 5.7 yards per carry back in 2022.

Herbert should be a massive upgrade over Trey Sermon for the Colts next season, but let's dive into some film clips to truly see what the Colts are getting.

A Strong Peak

Herbert was a fairly productive runner in his first three years with the Bears. He played in a very run-friendly system with Justin Fields as his quarterback, but Herbert also provided decent juice and production at the position. He may not be a full-time starting-caliber player, but he flashed some good things on film.

Herbert's best attribute is his ability to stay balanced and smooth throughout his cuts. He isn't overly fast and doesn't force many missed tackles, but his footwork is very good, and he constantly scans for cutback lanes while on the move. He simply looks comfortable when maneuvering around blockers and excels as a player who can get what the play is blocked to get.

He won't turn a dead run into a chunk gain, but if the offensive line does its job, Herbert is the type of running back who can hit the hole hard and use his vision to get extra yards. He is a smart and smooth player who can be productive in a run-friendly system like the Colts (unlike Sermon was last season).