Khalil Herbert

Khalil Herbert (born April 21, 1998) is an American professional football running back and return specialist who is a free agent. He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks and Virginia Tech Hokies before being selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Early life Herbert attended American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida. He committed to the University of Kansas to play college football. He has roots in Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands.

College career

Kansas As a true freshman at Kansas in 2016, Herbert played in eight games with three starts and rushed for 189 yards on 44 carries with three touchdowns. As a sophomore he started six of 11 games, rushing for 663 yards on 120 carries and four touchdowns in the 2017 season. In the 2017 season, he ran for 291 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries against West Virginia. He played in 12 games his junior year in 2018 and rushed 113 times for 499 yards and five touchdowns. Herbert played in four games in 2019 before leaving the team. He finished the year with 384 yards on 43 carries with two touchdowns.

Virginia Tech Herbert joined Virginia Tech as a graduate transfer in 2020. He took over as the team's starting running back. In the Hokies' season opener against North Carolina State, he had 150 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in the victory. Against Duke, he set the school record for all-purpose yards in a game with 358 (208 rushing and 150 kick returning) in the victory. In the following game against North Carolina, he had 18 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns. In the following game against Boston College, he had 18 carries for 143 rushing yards and a 29-yard receiving touchdown in the victory. On October 31, in a road victory over Louisville, he had 21 carries for 147 yards and one touchdown. On December 12, against rival Virginia, he had 20 carries for 162 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

Herbert finished his one season with Virginia Tech with 155 carries for 1,183 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns to go along with ten receptions for 179 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 11 games. He averaged 26.9 yards per kickoff return to lead the ACC.

Professional career

Chicago Bears 2021 Herbert was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round, 217th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract with Chicago on June 2, 2021. Herbert started the season as the Bears kick returner and third-string running back. He earned more playtime after an injury to starting running back David Montgomery. Herbert capitalized on the opportunity by earning 75 yards on 18 carries in a Week 5 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

2022 Herbert entered the 2022 season as the Bears' second-string running back behind Montgomery. In a Week 3 game against the Houston Texans on September 25, 2022, Herbert rushed for 157 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns after Bears starting running back Montgomery went down with an injury in the Bears 23–20 win. Herbert was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week for his efforts against the Texans. He suffered a hip injury in Week 10 and was placed on injured reserve on November 15, 2022. He was activated on December 23. In the 2022 season, he appeared in 13 games and started one. He finished with 129 carries for 731 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with nine receptions for 57 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

2023 Herbert entered the 2023 season as the Bears starting running back after David Montgomery signed with the Detroit Lions. In Week 4, he ran for 103 yards and had four catches for 19 yards and one touchdown. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 5 and was placed on injured reserve on October 13, 2023. He was activated on November 18.

2024 In Week 2 of the 2024 season, Herbert would get his first touchdown of the year in a loss to the Houston Texans.

Cincinnati Bengals On November 5, 2024, Herbert was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a seventh round pick. Herbert made his debut for the Bengals in their November 17 Sunday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Chargers where he would return a single punt for 29 yards in a 27–34 loss. His main role with the Bengals was taking over as the team's kickoff returner from Jermaine Burton.

Bengals' starting running back Chase Brown suffered an ankle injury late in the Bengals' Week 17 win against the Denver Broncos, leading to Herbert's lone start with the Bengals coming in their Week 18 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the game with 69 yards on 20 carries.

Indianapolis Colts On March 14, 2025, Herbert signed with the Indianapolis Colts on a one-year contract. He was released on August 26 as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 8.

Seattle Seahawks On September 23, 2025, Herbert was signed to the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad.

New York Jets On October 2, 2025, Herbert was signed by the New York Jets off the Seahawks practice squad.

San Francisco 49ers On August 2, 2026, Herbert signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers. He was released on August 17. Three days later, Herbert was re-signed.

Career statistics

NFL Year Team Games Rushing ReceivingKick returns Fumbles GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2021 CHI 17 2 103 433 4.2 29 2 14 96 6.9 20 0 27 650 24.1 50 0 1 0 2022 CHI 13 1 129 731 5.7 63 4 9 57 6.3 25 1 5 146 29.2 50 0 0 0 2023 CHI 12 9 132 611 4.6 38 2 20 134 6.7 23 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 12024 CHI 6 0 8 16 2.0 6 1 2 4 2.0 2 0 1 28 28.0 28 0 0 0 CIN 8 1 28 114 4.1 14 0 8 21 2.6 7 0 3 96 32.0 35 0 1 1 Career 56 13 400 1,905 4.8 63 9 53 312 5.9 25 2 36 920 25.6 50 0 3 2

College Season Team GP Rushing Receiving Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD 2016 Kansas 8 44 189 4.3 3 6 42 7.0 0 2017 Kansas 11 120 663 5.5 4 8 38 4.8 0 2018 Kansas 12 113 499 4.4 5 9 39 4.3 0 2019 Kansas 4 43 384 8.9 2 1 -1 -1.0 0 2020 Virginia Tech 11 154 1,182 7.7 8 10 179 17.9 1Career 46 474 2,917 6.2 22 34 297 8.7 1