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Running back help? ESPN suggests ‘intriguing’ trade between Cowboys and Chicago Bears

The Cowboys have one of the NFL’s worst run games seven weeks into the season.

The Dallas Cowboys hit the bye week with an undeniable truth hanging over their heads: six games into the season, they’ve got one of the worst running games in the NFL.

With a little over two weeks remaining until the league’s Nov. 5 trade deadline, however, there’s time to improve.

ESPN has an idea or two, as the site recently posted a list of realistic trade ideas that could happen before the deadline. They might not be in-line with the flashy moves we’ve seen this week with the Davante Adams and Amari Cooper trades, the post says, but these are sensible moves that would suit both parties.

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ESPN lists a few running backs that could possibly be on the move, and one of those is Chicago Bears’ backup running back Khalil Herbert. The post pitches what would be an ‘intriguing’ trade between the Bears and Cowboys for Herbert in exchange for Dallas’ 2025 sixth-round pick.

Herbert is a 26-year-old running back out of Virginia Tech who was drafted by the Bears in the sixth round in 2021. He rushed for 731 yards in 2022 and 611 in 2023, but has been limited to 16 yards on eight rushes this season, relegated to third-string on the Bears’ depth chart behind D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson.

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Here’s what ESPN’s Bill Barnwell said about the potention deal:

“Dallas didn’t address its running game in the offseason, and it is struggling on the ground. Ezekiel Elliott has been mostly phased out of the rotation, leaving Rico Dowdle, who has generated minus-18 rush yards over expected (RYOE) in a relatively quiet start to the season.

“There’s no Derrick Henry lurking as an immediately impactful back, but what about adding another set of fresh legs to compete with Dowdle? Herbert is probably not the sort of back to shoulder a workload of 20 carries per game, but among the 46 players with 300 carries or more between 2021 and 2023, his 4.9 yards-per-carry average ranks seventh. He generated 189 RYOE over that stretch, which ranked 11th among all backs. Some of that was playing alongside Justin Fields, but Chicago’s other backs produced minus-256 RYOE across their carries.

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“Ranking 28th in success rate suggests Herbert was hitting big plays as opposed to racking up steadier gains, but the Cowboys’ longest run of the season has gone for 12 yards. Herbert had 24 runs for 13 or more yards during his first three seasons with the Bears. Some explosiveness wouldn’t hurt, even if he would only become a part of the rotation.

“Herbert has been the odd man out in Chicago’s rushing attack, as offensive coordinator Shane Waldron appears to prefer Swift and Johnson. Herbert has played just 27 offensive snaps through six games and hasn’t touched the ball since Week 3. With his contract expiring after the season, he’s likely going to be moving on in 2025. Here, general manager Ryan Poles would earn a pick for letting Herbert leave a half-season earlier than expected.”

Click here to read the full article.

Twitter: @dmn_cowboys

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