Bears Ship Forgotten Playmaker to NFC Rival in Projected Trade After Injury News

The Bears seem like an obvious candidate to make a trade soon with the deadline just over one week away, especially after the news that Chicago activated RB Travis Homer's 21-day window to return from injured reserve.

Once Homer is back, the team will have four dependable players at the position. With D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson locked into their roles, Khalil Herbert remains the likeliest trade candidate despite the Bears' hesitancy.

With Herbert seeking a larger role, one projected trade gives the veteran an opportunity to start while recouping some value for Chicago.

Projected Bears Trade Sends RB Khalil Herbert to Cowboys

Despite Jerry Jones' best efforts to torpedo the Cowboys, it's obvious they need an upgrade in the backfield. Herbert would instantly become their best runner, elevating an offense that ranks dead last in yards per rush attempt (3.5).

The 2021 sixth-round pick has 1,791 rushing yards and nine TDs while averaging 4.8 yards an attempt. Herbert routinely ranks highly in advanced metrics when given the opportunity and has flashed some receiving chops as well.

He deserves the chance to lead a backfield. Since he's a pending free agent anyway, the Bears have to either trade him or let him walk for nothing this offseason.

It would hurt to hand Herbert over to a conference foe who Chicago could face in the playoffs, but few other teams have such an obvious need at the position. The Chargers, Raiders, and Bengals could all be options in the AFC though wouldn't give Herbert the same path to playing time.

This is a clear win-win trade that frees up the Bears' depth chart while doing right by a veteran player. Chicago already rejected one obvious trade, so here's hoping the front office doesn't make the same mistake twice.

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