Jets News
[the_ad id=”105842″]The New York Jets signed running back Khalil Herbert on Thursday after placing Braelon Allen on injured reserve with a knee injury. Allen sustained a sprained MCL while returning a kickoff in the second quarter of Monday’s 27-21 loss to Miami. The second-year back will miss at least the next four games.
Herbert was signed off the Seattle Seahawks practice squad. The 27-year-old veteran brings experience to a Jets backfield that has dealt with multiple injuries through the first four weeks of the season. The Virginia Tech product was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He spent four seasons in Chicago before being traded to Cincinnati last season.
Herbert has rushed 400 times for 1,905 yards and nine touchdowns during his professional career. He has also caught 53 passes for 312 yards and two receiving touchdowns in 56 games. Allen appeared in all four games this season before the injury. He rushed for 76 yards and added two receptions for 17 yards. He carried the ball 26 times for 26 yards against the Dolphins before exiting the game.
The Jets now have three healthy running backs on the active roster. Breece Hall leads the team with 238 rushing yards through four games. Isaiah Davis serves as the primary backup behind Hall. Running back Kene Nwangwu remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. He has missed the last three games after sustaining the injury in the season opener against Pittsburgh. Nwangwu did not practice on Wednesday, and his status for Sunday’s game against Dallas remains uncertain. The former All-Pro kick returner has averaged 28.7 yards per return during his career.
Herbert also brings kick return experience to the Jets. He returned 27 kicks for 650 yards during his rookie season with the Bears.
The Jets’ special teams unit has struggled with ball security on returns this season. Xavier Gipson fumbled in Week 1, and Isaiah Williams fumbled in Week 4. Both turnovers contributed to losses.
Head coach Aaron Glenn said earlier in the season he planned to utilize a committee approach in the running back room. Allen’s absence makes Hall the clear feature back for the immediate future. Hall rushed 13 times for 68 yards against Miami. He also caught three passes for 16 yards. The fourth-year back has accounted for 36 percent of the team’s total offensive touches through four games. Davis received five touches for 27 yards in Monday’s loss. He figures to see increased work as the backup with Allen sidelined.
Herbert rushed for a career-high 731 yards in 2022 with Chicago. He followed that with 611 yards in 2023 before being traded to the Bengals during last season.
He appeared in eight games with Cincinnati and rushed 28 times for 114 yards. The Bengals released him during training camp in August. The Colts signed Herbert briefly before releasing him. Seattle added him to their practice squad on September 23 before releasing him on October 1.
The Jets moved quickly to sign Herbert after Allen’s injury became clear. The team worked him out earlier in the week before finalizing the signing Thursday.
New York enters Week 5 with a 0-4 record. The winless start has put pressure on Glenn and the coaching staff to turn things around quickly.
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