Khalil Herbert vs. Damien Williams: Can Rookie Take Control of Committee?

The Chicago Bears have deployed a run-heavy attack with Justin Fields under center the past two weeks, as they ran the ball 39 times in a win over the Detroit Lions and 37 times in their win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Fields has been serviceable as a game manager, throwing for 320 yards, one score and one interception, and the Bears have seen their win total projection rise at WynnBET because of it.

With Davis Montgomery out of the lineup with an injury, Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert led the way for the Bears against the Raiders.

Both players came close to 20 opportunities (carries and targets), but it was the rookie Herbert who ended up playing the most snaps.

#Bears Week 5 RB snap rates:

Khalil Herbert - 53%
Damien Williams - 48% https://t.co/A3s37jbiN8
— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) October 11, 2021

Is there a chance that the rookie slowly pulls away from the veteran Williams in the backfield?

It’s unlikely, as Williams is the more proven player with experience in the offense, but Herbert did flash on Sunday with 18 carries for 75 yards. He doesn't have the receiving prowess that Williams possesses (Williams has 10 catches for 61 yards this season), but Herbert could earn more work on the ground if he outperforms the veteran again.

The bigger issue for Herbert is the fact that Williams saw all the looks in the red zone, which makes him the more valuable player in touchdown scorer props.

Bears RB usage in their first game without David Montgomery (knee):

Khalil Herbert 34-of-64 snaps, 18 carries, 7 routes (on 26 drop backs), 0 targets

Damien Williams 31 snaps, 16 carries, 10 routes, 3 targets

Williams also with 3-of-4 carries inside the 10.
— John Daigle (@notJDaigle) October 11, 2021

Damien Williams was the preferred back in negative and neutral situations for the Bears. Khalil Herbert finished the game out with 17-of-18 touches coming with a lead later in the game. pic.twitter.com/UJwaDcMttS
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) October 11, 2021

If the Bears and Nagy continue to run this type of offense to protect Fields, both players will have value if the Bears are winning going forward.

That may be tough against the Green Bay Packers, as Chicago is a five-point underdog in Week 6.

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