Will signing Khalil Herbert turn out to be a great offseason move by the Indianapolis Colts? This has been an interesting off-season for the team. The Colts lost quality free agents like Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Dayo Odeyingbo, and Grant Stuart.
Kelly and Fries both signed with the Minnesota Vikings. Meanwhile, Odeyingbo went to the Chicago Bears and Stuard is now with the Detroit Lions.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard lost a few agents, but he has also signed a few. He has re-signed guys like Wesley French and Danny Pinter. Ballard has also signed outside free agents like Charvarius Ward, Camryn Bynum, Daniel Jones, and, of course, Khalil Herbert. While the Herbert signing was overshadowed by the Ward and Bynum additions, it could wind up being a fantastic move by the Colts.
Khalil Herbert Could Prove to Be a Great Offseason Move for the Indianapolis Colts
His Career Thus Far
Khalil Herbert began his collegiate career at the University of Kansas. During his four seasons with the Jayhawks, he rushed for 1,735 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also caught 23 passes for 114 yards.
Herbert then went to Virginia Tech as a graduate transfer. He had a school-record 358 all-purpose yards versus Duke. In that game, he recorded 208 rushing yards and 150 kick return yards as his Hokies won 38-31. Herbert finished his lone season at Virginia Tech with 1,182 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He also returned 16 kicks for 430 yards. His kick return average of 26.9 yards led the ACC.
The Chicago Bears later took Khalil Herbert in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He had a career-high 731 rushing yards and four touchdowns during the 2022 campaign. Herbert would spend four seasons in Chicago, starting 12 of his 48 games. He was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024. He rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown last season.
The Colts Need a Backup for JT
Indianapolis has one of the NFL’s top running backs in Jonathan Taylor. The former Wisconsin Badger led the league in rushing during the 2021 season. Taylor made his second career Pro Bowl last season. The Colts need someone to step up and serve as a good backup for Taylor.
They had a good backup in 2023. That year, Zack Moss produced 794 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns (both career-highs). He also had 27 receptions 192 yards and two touchdowns. Moss left Indianapolis and signed with Cincinnati last offseason. Unfortunately for the Colts, they were unable to replace him as Taylor’s primary backup. The combo of Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson just didn’t pan out in 2024.
Khalil Herbert could be the guy the Colts have been looking for. Andrew Moore of SI.com wrote about the team’s new running back:
“Herbert has good vision between the tackles and is serviceable in pass protection, qualities the Colts value from their backs. The added receiving element allows him to play on third downs and in passing situations.”
It sounds like Herbert can emerge as a solid contributor in 2025. The Colts might draft a running back this year as well. We’ll see if the new RB room will get the job done in Indy.