The Chicago Bears are beginning training camp without a clear RB1 at the top of the depth chart, but that doesn't mean they don't have running backs who are more than capable of being productive starters in the NFL.
In fact, the Bears have three running backs vying for lead-back duties, and all of them have a chance to be 1,000-yard rushers if given enough of a workload.
Khalil Herbert is longest tenured Bear of the bunch, and after averaging 5.7 yards per carry in 2022, he's the leader in the clubhouse to get the first crack at the job.
It's an opportunity Herbert said Thursday that he doesn't expect to give up.
"That’s like coming to work and expecting to lose," Herbert said. "You don’t ever come expecting to lose. In everything I do, I expect to compete, I expect to win."
Herbert is competing against D'Onta Foreman, the Bears' free-agent signing who ran for nearly 1,000 yards with the Carolina Panthers last year, and Roschon Johnson, the rookie fourth-round pick out of Texas.
The biggest knock against Herbert is his pass protection. Throughout the offseason, he's been focusing on getting stronger and more physical as a pass protector. He'll have to if he wants to be a viable three-down running back.
Guys like that have value, even if they aren't paid like it in the modern NFL.
"Our position is very valuable," Herbert said of the running back drama going on around the league. "You want to see guys get paid what they are worth."
Khalil Herbert has two years remaining on his rookie contract before he has to worry about his market value. Until then, he's focused on winning the Chicago Bears' starting running back job.