The Bears on Tuesday placed running back Khalil Herbert on injured reserve and waived defensive end Kingsley Jonathan.
Herbert appeared to sustain an injury on a 17-yard kickoff return late in Sunday's loss to the Lions. He must miss a minimum of four games and will be eligible to come off IR for the Bears' Dec. 24 home contest against the Bills.
The second-year pro has appeared in all 10 games this season and ranks 11th in the NFL in rushing with 643 yards and four touchdowns on 108 carries. Herbert's best game of the year came in Week 3 when he ran for a career-high 157 yards and two TDs on 20 attempts in a 23-20 win over the Texans.
Herbert was selected by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Virginia Tech. As a rookie, he rushed for 433 yards and two TDs on 103 carries, caught 14 passes for 96 yards and averaged 24.1 yards on 17 kickoff returns. In four games as the Bears' primary ballcarrier in place of the injured David Montgomery, Herbert gained 344 yards, the fourth most by an NFL running back during that span.
In addition, Herbert was voted by teammates as a winner of the Brian Piccolo Award, which is presented annually to a rookie and veteran who best exemplify the courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and sense of humor of Brian Piccolo, a Bears running back who died from embryonal cell carcinoma on June 16, 1970, at the age of 26.
Jonathan entered the NFL this year with the Bills as an undrafted free agent from Syracuse. He was waived as part of final cuts and claimed by the Bears the next day. The 6-4, 260-pounder has appeared in five games, all as a reserve, playing 35 snaps on defense and eight on special teams. He recorded two tackles in Sunday's loss to the Lions.
