The Chicago Bears had a huge stroke of good fortune fall into their laps this spring when the draft pick they acquired from the Carolina Panthers last year—when the Bears traded the 2023 No. 1 selection—turned out to be No. 1 overall, as well.
They used it on University of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams, who has been described as a generational talent. They then used their own No. 9 overall pick on wide receiver Rome Odunze, who has star potential in his own right. Chicago was also aggressive by trading for wide receiver Keenan Allen, a six-time Pro Bowler, and midway through last season, it landed defensive end Montez Sweat in a trade with the Washington Commanders.
The long-suffering Bears now look to be stacked, at least on paper. However, they may not be done making moves before Week 1 arrives two months from now.
Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report named running back Khalil Herbert as a top trade candidate for the Bears ahead of training camp. His reasoning is that Herbert may be expendable at this point.
“Khalil Herbert is the most logical trade candidate on Chicago’s running back depth chart,” wrote Tansey.
“D’Andre Swift was signed in the offseason and Roschon Johnson is a backup with plenty of potential.
“Herbert enters training camp as the No. 3 running back on the depth chart and there may not be room for him to move upward.
“Herbert ran for over 600 yards in each of the last two seasons. That should be intriguing for any team in search of running back depth.
“Of course, the Bears could keep Herbert as insurance in case an injury happens, but he may want more snaps from the start of the season.”
The Bears may have a glut in their backfield
Herbert recently turned 26 years of age and has played just three seasons in the NFL, all of them with the Bears, but he does have a robust average of 4.9 yards per carry for his career. At the very least, he could make an excellent RB2 for another team.
Swift is another former or potential Pro Bowler the Bears have gotten their hands on in recent months. He made the Pro Bowl last year as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles while running for 1,049 yards and five touchdowns, and at age 25, he could still have some upside.
Chicago could be in a situation where getting all of its studs enough touches on offense to keep all of them happy could become an issue. Such a situation often results in at least one of those studs leaving in order to spread his wings and possibly also get a bigger contract.
It isn’t a lock the Bears will make the playoffs this coming season. But with all of the talent they’re suddenly endowed with, their future should be bright, so long as Williams becomes a good NFL quarterback.
