Chicago Bears: Herbert To Miss Multiple Weeks With Ankle Injury

In the Chicago Bears’ first win in the 2023 season, running back Khalil Herbert suffered an ankle injury that will have him miss several weeks.

As is always the case with the Chicago Bears, there was some good news and some bad news. The good news was the Bears finally ended their franchise-long losing streak at 14. They beat the Washington Commanders 40-20 and got a lot of great play from quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver D.J. Moore.

The bad news was that the victory came with a high price. Starting running back Khalil Herbert suffered an ankle injury. That injury will cost him several weeks.

It was a shame that Herbert suffered the injury. He was on his way to having a monster game himself. He had 76 rushing yards and it was just the first half.

After the team came back in the second half, Herbert tried to play. He took the handoff and tried to run the ball. However, he went down untouched. He left the game and did not return.

The injury was one of three that the Chicago Bears’ backfield suffered. Herbert’s backup, Roschon Johnson, was in concussion protocol. The third-string running back, Travis Homer suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the game. The Bears ended up having to use fullback Khari Blasingame, who had just three carries in his entire career, the carries in the second half.

The Bears signed Darrynton Evans to replace Herbert in the meantime. Evans was on Chicago’s practice squad and the active roster in 2022. He is familiar with the offensive system so there won’t be much of a learning curve.

Herbert was leading the team in rushing with 272 yards on 51 carries (5.3 yards per carry). He added 83 receiving yards and a touchdown on 10 catches.

Assuming Johnson clears concussion protocol, he will take over as the main running back. Additionally, D’Onta Foreman, who was inactive for the game, will be the backup (or the starter if Johnson is not ready).

The Bears are high on Johnson. This season, the Bears’ rookie fourth-round pick, has 25 carries for 122 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and a touchdown. He also has 11 catches for 58 yards. He shot up the depth chart during training camp and played well in the preseason games. It appears that he is in the Chicago Bears’ plan.

Foreman is coming off of a career season last year. He gained 914 yards and had 5 touchdowns. Things have not worked out for him in Chicago, however. After playing in the first game of the season in which he had 16 yards on 5 carries and 2 catches for 8 yards, the Bears had him inactive for the next four games. He is not dealing with an injury so it appears that Johnson’s rise resulted in Foreman’s falling out of the rotation.

Now Foreman will have a role to play in the offense. If Johnson is not ready, he could even be a starter.

The Bears’ rushing game must do well. They led the league in rushing last season. This season, they currently rank seventh. A successful running game helps create some space and less pressure from the opposing defense.

We will see how Johnson progresses this week. Since the game was last Thursday, the team has the advantage of having ten days before they play again. They play again next Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, who also have a 1-4 record.