A pair of Chicago Bears players are generating trade interest from other teams ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports that Bears running back Khalil Herbert and right guard Nate Davis are coming up in trade discussions. It is wild to think about those players as potential trade chips when they were entrenched starters at this time last year. But things move fast in this league. And with the NFL’s trade deadline just 16 days away, it is possible that both players could be on the move.
Will the Bears trade Khalil Herbert? What about Nate Davis?
Nate Davis is seen as “a potential key depth piece for a team in need” by Rapoport. And, in a sense, he isn’t wrong. The 28-year-old offensive lineman has 71 games of experience under his belt, including 67 starts. When healthy, Davis has been an adequate blocker. Unfortunately, Davis hasn’t been healthy (or available) much during his two-year tenure with the Bears. As a result, he has been bumped down the depth chart behind Matt Pryor and Bill Murray. Davis was a healthy scratch for the team’s Week 6 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Depending on when fellow offensive linemen Ryan Bates and Larry Borom return from their respective stints on injured reserve, Davis could find himself behind those guys, too. Given this information, I can see why teams would be interested in swinging a trade for an offensive lineman who looks like the odd man out in Chicago’s trenches. We explored some Nate Davis trade options late last week. After seeing Bears General Manager Ryan Poles move on from Chase Claypool last year and netting a Day 3 pick in return, I can envision history repeating itself in 2024.
Based on Rapoport’s framing of the situation, it feels as if a Khalil Herbert trade seems more feasible.
“With plenty of injuries at the position across the league,” Rapoport writes. “Herbert could be the subject of calls. He has flashed in previous seasons.”
Back in 2022, Khalil Herbert averaged 5.7 yards per carry. It was the highest rushing average among running backs who played enough snaps to qualify for the rushing title. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen Herbert showcase his abilities for a full 17-game season because of IR stints in 2022 and 2023. But Rap Sheet is right to highlight that Herbert *HAS* flashed when given an opportunity. After all, the running back has a pair of Ground Player of the Week awards (one in 2022, another in 2023) for his efforts. Perhaps that boosts his value on the trade block.
Khalil Herbert has been the subject of trade rumors since the summer. Earlier this week, we discussed the possibility of the 26-year-old running back becoming trade bait after a Minnesota-based reporter shared what they had heard about the Vikings inquiring about Herbert’s availability before making a trade with the Texans for Cam Akers. I struggle to imagine that Minnesota is the only team kicking the tires on the availability of a running back who has played a grand total of six offensive snaps in the last three games.
When it comes to the odds of Chicago trading Herbert, I can see the Bears and an RB-needy team ironing out a deal if the price is right. If not, the Bears have a quality fall-back option in the ground game if D’Andre Swift or Roschon Johnson gets dinged up. That is to say, I don’t think the Bears are simply looking to give away Herbert for free when he could still be part of the offensive puzzle.
Davis and Herbert are among nine players that Rapoport lists as possible trade chips who could be sent packing before the clock strikes midnight on the NFL’s Trade Deadline on Nov. 5. It is possible that more names could join the list, which could make for an active deadline with aggressive teams looking to add to their rosters making phone calls to teams looking to clear roster spots (and accumulate draft capital). We saw some player movement last week with Roy Robertson-Harris, Davante Adams, Cam Akers, and Amari Cooper changing teams. That could be just the beginning of a potentially wild stretch of transactions. Stay tuned.