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Check out this stat line and ask yourself if it reads like an NFL running back who’s an injury away from starting:
Six seasons, two (now three) teams, 85 games, 294 carries, 1,231 yards, and 12 touchdowns.
That’s the career box score for the Bears’ top backup running back, Damien Williams, whose best season totaled 498 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019.
Williams opted out of the 2020 season but his days as the Chiefs’ starter were numbered anyway. He was expected to take a back seat to 2020 first-round pick, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, had he played last year.
Williams was released by Kansas City on March 16 and signed by the Bears to a one-year deal 10 days later.
At this point in Williams’ career, it’s fair to call him a journeyman depth player who’s proven he’s capable of spot-starting duty or the occasional big play, but is there enough on his resume to justify some of the offseason chatter that’s gone as far as to suggest he could chip away at David Montgomery’s workload?
Simply put, no.
The Williams hype has been nothing more than the classic kneejerk reaction that follows offseason signings. Add the fact that Tarik Cohen is still hobbled by the torn ACL he suffered last season and the lack of any other established running back on the roster, and the expectations surrounding Williams have become irrationally high.
In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Williams is outplayed this preseason by rookie Khalil Herbert, who the Bears selected in the sixth round from Virginia Tech.
It’d be a wise business strategy to anoint the rookie — who’s on a rookie contract — to the top reserve spot instead of a veteran playing on a one-year deal and likely looking for another payday in 2022. More importantly, Herbert is a talented runner who if given NFL reps to season his game has the upside to mature into a quality RB2.
Herbert transferred to Va Tech in 2020 after spending the majority of his collegiate career at Kansas. He totaled 475 carries for 2,918 yards and 22 touchdowns in a little over four seasons. His yards-per-carry was an impressive 6.1 over that span.
Herbert’s breakout year came in 2020 when he totaled 1,183 yards and eight scores for the Hokies, including an incredible 7.6 yards per rush.
Herbert’s skill set is intriguing, to say the least. He checked in at 5’9 and 210 pounds during the run-up to the 2021 draft and was touted as a prospect with a good blend of vision and power. He recorded a 4.46 40-yard dash at his Virginia Tech pro day and proved with his athletic numbers that he checks almost every box to be a legitimate pro running back.
Herbert is exactly six years younger than Williams, too, and could pair with Montgomery to form a fantastic young duo in Chicago’s backfield.
Obviously, the preseason will go a long way in deciding just how involved Herbert is in the Bears’ offense this year. His range of potential outcomes is wide; he can just as easily be a practice squad player as he can be the first man off the bench, which is why August football is so fantastic to watch.
Herbert has already worked himself into the third spot on the running back depth chart, albeit because Cohen is still out with his knee injury. Still, he’s surpassed players like Artavis Pierce, who got some run in 2020, and Ryan Nall, who’s been in the program for several seasons.
It may not be long before Herbert passes Williams too.