Bears believe that Khalil Herbert can return by the end of the season

LAKE FOREST – One thing that an offense that is currently rolling didn’t need was an injury to one of their key players, but that happened late in the loss to the Lions on Sunday.

That will keep him out for at least four weeks, and since it’s late in the season, some were wondering if the second-year running back might not see the field for the rest of the campaign.

Head coach Matt Eberflus, however, believes that Herbert has a good shot to return to the Bears’ lineup at some point after his time on injured reserve is up.

“Yeah, we do,” said Eberflus when asked at his news conference on Wednesday if he thought there was a chance the running back would return this season. “We feel comfortable with it. Again, that could change, but we like where he is, he’s in a good spot. We’ll see where it goes. I don’t have any timetable, though.”

Herbert was in the midst of a productive season with the Bears as he is second on the team in rushing with 643 yards on 108 carries (6 yards per rush) with four touchdowns. He’s played in a rotation with David Montgomery for most of the season but Herbert has been more productive so far during his time in the lineup.

Rookie Trestan Ebner, who was a sixth-round draft pick this past spring, will likely see more carries with Herbert out of the lineup. He’s had 18 carries for 46 yards so far this season but hasn’t had a carry since the Week 8 game against the Cowboys.