Jets recreating Bears' 2023 backfield with latest RB signing

The New York Jets' running back room will look a little different moving forward. The team announced on Thursday that they had officially placed Braelon Allen on the injured reserve, signing veteran running back Khalil Herbert in a corresponding move.

Allen suffered a knee injury on a kick return in the Jets' Week 4 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. The second-year back will be sidelined for a minimum of four weeks, but the expectation seems to be that he will miss an extended period of time.

The Jets have not ruled out surgery as an option for Allen, and while the team is hopeful he can return at some point this year, ESPN's Rich Cimini reported on Thursday that it's "too early" to say if the injury is season-ending.

Herbert gives the Jets a quality veteran depth running back to pair with Breece Hall, Isaiah Davis, and Kene Nwangwu, and he also represents a bit of a Chicago Bears reunion in the Jets' backfield.

Jets reunite Justin Fields with ex-Bears teammate Khalil Herbert

Both Justin Fields and Khalil Herbert were members of the Bears' 2021 draft class, with the latter being selected five rounds later with the 217th overall pick. Herbert showed flashes of talent in Chicago and easily outplayed his draft slot.

The Virginia Tech product rushed for nearly 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns in a little over three years in Chicago before he was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals just prior to the trade deadline last year.

Fields and Herbert actually finished as Chicago's two leading rushers in 2023, with 657 and 611 yards, respectively, although an ankle injury limited the young running back to just 12 games.

Herbert played sparingly in eight games with the Bengals last season, carrying the ball 28 times for 114 yards before signing with the Indianapolis Colts this past spring. The expectation was that Herbert would have the inside track to the RB2 job, but he was released as part of final roster cuts.

The Jets signed Herbert off the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad, which is where he spent the last couple of weeks. Now, he's set to reunite with his former quarterback in New York's backfield.

Expect to see a heavy dosage of Hall as the likely bell-cow back in the Jets' offense, with Davis taking on an elevated passing-down role. It would not be a surprise to see Herbert receive his share of snaps as well.

Allen’s role in the Jets’ offense can’t truly be replaced, but Herbert is a proven veteran who should capably step in as a change-of-pace option. The Fields connection is the cherry on top.

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