UPDATE, 9:09 a.m.: According to NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, the Bengals are expecting RB Zack Moss to miss the rest of the regular season with the neck injury, which played a key role in the Bengals making the move to acquire RB Khalil Herbert from the Bears.
Here’s the full video from Garafolo’s appearance on Good Morning Football Tuesday morning.
The AFC North is rather busy on NFL trade deadline day.
Just a few minutes after the Cleveland Browns reportedly traded DE Za’Darius Smith to the Detroit Lions, another AFC North-NFC North trade was struck, this time between the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bengals are acquiring running back Khalil Herbert from the Bears, giving the Bengals another option at running back following Zack Moss’ injury.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the compensation for Herbert going to the Bengals is a seventh-round pick.
Moss was injured during practice ahead of the Week 9 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders and did not play in the Bengals’ blowout win over the Raiders. Following the game, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor stated that Moss would be out indefinitely, leading to Cincinnati moving quickly to add another running back to the room to supplement Chase Brown.
Along with the loss of Moss, the Bengals lost tight end Erick All Jr. to a torn ACL in Week 9 against the Raiders.
Herbert hasn’t played much this season for the Bears, seeing just 27 snaps offensively. In those 27 snaps, Herbert has just eight carries for 16 yards and a touchdown.
Previously, Herbert rushed for 611 yards and two touchdowns in 2023, and 731 yards and four touchdowns in 2022 before being passed on the depth chart in Chicago by free agent signee DeAndre Swift and second-year RB Roschon Johnson.
At 4-5, the Bengals are starting to turn things around and remain in the mix in the AFC playoff picture after starting the season 1-4. Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense broke out in Week 9 against the Raiders in the 41-24 win and now are adding reinforcements for the second half of the season.
Along with the addition of Herbert, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Bengals are also looking for defensive help.
The Steelers will square off with the Bengals in Week 12 at 1 PM/ET in Cincinnati. Prior to the matchup with the Steelers, the Bengals battle the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10, and then travel to Los Angeles to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11 in a game that was flexed in Sunday Night Football on Monday.
