Make no mistake about it, Jonathan Taylor is a Top 10 running back in the NFL. He has been a workhorse for the Indianapolis Colts and has established himself as one of the top backs. Injuries have affected him during his career and the Colts have turned a former Virginia Tech back to back him up.
The Colts have signed Khalil Herbert to a one-year deal for an experienced backup for Taylor. He was the latest signing for Indy who also inked quarterback Daniel Jones to come in and push Anthony Richardson as QB1 for the upcoming season.
Khalil Herbert finds home behind a top 10 running back in Jonathan Taylor
In the end, Herbert is not going to take snaps away from Taylor, but he can he a big third down back for a Colts team looking for an upgrade behind RB1. After being drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 Draft, he was their top running back at the end of the season, but he fell on the depth chart by the beginning of the 2022 season. Injuries cost him the 2023 season before he was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals last season.
In his one season with the Bengals, he finished with 130 yards on the ground with a touchdown on 30 carries. In four NFL seasons, he has 1,905 rushing yards on 400 carries and nine touchdowns. He had 53 receptions for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Herbert played one season at Virginia Tech after four years at Kansas and put up his best numbers in his college career. He had 154 carries for the Hokies for 1,182 yards, averaging 7.7 yards a carry and eight touchdowns. He averaged 107.5 yards a game in 11 games in 2020.
This could be a nice spot for Herbert to have an opportunity to play some meaningful snaps as a backup and contribute on third downs. This could be an under-the-radar signing by the Colts.