Khalil Herbert Trade, Matt Eberflus Hot Seat, Injury Updates

There hasn’t been much to celebrate over the past nine days if you’re a fan of the Chicago Bears. The team has dropped both games to fall to 4-4, and the atmosphere has taken a decisive turn. One of those losses came on a last-second Hail Mary, while the other was a 20-point loss that never came close.

In the immediate aftermath of giving up that Hail Mary, most people in the football world said something along the lines of, “That’s the worst way to lose,” but I would argue that not scoring a touchdown against an undersized defense and never getting real in the game is even worse. If you’re going to lose anyway, at least make it exciting.

Bears fans need something to take their mind off the product they’ve been watching on the field, and luckily today we have a confluence of events to take our minds off the fact that the playoffs seem to be slipping away.

It’s trade deadline day, one of Bears GM Ryan Poles’ favorite holidays. There are also a host of Bears injuries to keep track of – some old and some new, and Matt Eberflus’ ever-tenured status as Bears head coach. Let’s all get into the rumor mill together, okay?

The Bears made the first move at the trade deadline when they sent Khalil Herbert to the Bengals for a seventh-round pick. Herbert has been with the Bears for his entire four-year career, but despite averaging 4.8 yards per carry, he fell out of favor this year after the Bears signed D’Andre Swift in free agency and got Roschon back as a sophomore increased. Johnson to the number two spot behind him.

Herbert has just eight carries this season, but he will have a chance to contribute more to a Bengals team that is hurting in the backfield. Zach Moss is out indefinitely due to a neck injury, leaving Chase Brown to shoulder almost the entire running back workload.

Brown carried the ball a career-high 27 times last week, and he was on the field for 79 percent of the Bengals’ offensive snaps. Bringing in Herbert will allow Zac Taylor to more evenly distribute touches in the backfield, and Herbert should thrive in Cincy’s high-scoring offense.

For the Bears, a seventh-round pick isn’t much to get back, but it’s better than nothing for a player they didn’t use anyway. Guard Nate Davis, who lost his starting job earlier this year, is also expected to be transferred to a team in need of offensive line depth, so keep an eye on him today.

As far as players the Bears can bring in now to help them, the offensive line is the most likely target for two reasons. First, the Bears are dealing with injuries up front, and second, even when healthy, the line is the weakest link on the team this year. It’s in the Poles’ best interest to keep Caleb Williams alive, so if a solid lineman becomes available, especially one signed after this year, expect the Poles to pounce.

Once the first NFL head coach firing of the season occurs, it usually opens the floodgates for more. With Dennis Allen being let go as coach of the Saints in the midst of their seven-game losing streak, even more heat is coming on Matt Eberflus, who should already be worried based on what we’ve seen in recent weeks. .

Eberflus has not had a good two weeks. His complete mismanagement at the end of the Commanders game, from allowing an easy completion to put Washington into Hail Mary range, to not using a timeout on the final play, cost the Bears the game . A good coach would have taken his team to the next level the following week, but the Bears delivered their most listless performance of the season in Arizona, which seems to be a clear sign that he is losing the locker room.

DJ Moore did not exactly give Eberflus a loud statement of support in a radio interview on Monday:

Last week, news broke that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel, would have been interested in the Bears job if it opened up last year, which only poured salt into the wounds of Bears fans that to see how Eberflus continues to struggle.

Eberflus has insisted on doubling down on some of his worst decisions, including abandoning Caleb Williams at the end of this week’s loss, with his star rookie twisting his ankle and limping as the game ended.

After Sunday’s loss, Eberflus is now 14-28 against the Bears, and just 3-18 on the road. Chicago hosts the 2-7 Patriots this week, which could be a good opportunity to “get it right.” Conversely, a home loss to one of the worst teams in the NFL could be the final nail in Eberflus’ coffin.

After the Bears play the Patriots next Sunday, the schedule will be significantly tightened. To have a chance of making a run, the team needs to be a lot healthier than it is now.

The Bears were without several critical pieces on Sunday, including Montez Sweat, Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon and Braxton Jones. To make matters worse, several other Bears were knocked out of the game with new injuries.

Darnell Wright suffered a sprained MCL, further weakening the offensive line. Terell Smith, who started in place of Tyrique Stevenson in the aftermath of Stevenson’s relegation for his Hail Mary antics against the Commanders, injured his ankle in the first half and did not return. Andrew Billings was also forced to drop out in the third quarter with a chest injury.

Most frightening of all, Caleb Williams appeared to twist his ankle late in the game, though it doesn’t appear his status will be in question for the Patriots game.

DJ Moore was in the news for all the wrong reasons after he walked off the field in the middle of a play and sat on the bench before Caleb Williams had even thrown the ball. Moore appeared to have rolled his ankle and was clearly limping as he pulled away, so even if the optics of it were poor, I’m willing to give the veteran ample benefit of the doubt. Moore didn’t have his best day, catching four of nine targets for 33 yards, but the fact he was able to stay in the game is a good sign.

The Bears won’t release their official injury report until Wednesday, but Bears fans will want to keep a close eye on it to see how excited the team will be against New England.