The San Francisco 49ers did not make a splash here, but they did make a sensible move. By signing Khalil Herbert to a one-year deal, they added a running back who already knows the NFL grind, has survived multiple roster environments and arrives with enough experience to matter right away.
That is the appeal of this kind of transaction. Herbert is not being asked to arrive as a long-term answer or a headline player. He is coming in as a veteran option with a clear resume: 63 career games, 13 starts, 416 carries, 1,957 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, plus 54 receptions for 316 yards and two scores. For a team managing a busy transaction day, that is useful depth, especially at a position where availability and familiarity can matter as much as raw talent.
What Herbert has done before San Francisco
Herbert entered the league as a sixth-round pick, going 217th overall to the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft. Before that, he spent 2016-19 at the University of Kansas and 2020 at Virginia Tech. His NFL path has since taken him through the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets, giving him experience in different systems and different roster situations.
The 2025 season offered a smaller sample, but it still fits the broader picture. Herbert appeared in seven games with the New York Jets, finishing with 16 carries for 52 yards and one reception for four yards. The numbers are modest, but they also show a player who kept finding his way onto an active roster.
That matters for the 49ers because this is less about a single stat line and more about building a backfield that can withstand the ups and downs of a season. Herbert is 28 years old, which puts him in a practical middle ground for a running back: experienced enough to understand the job, still young enough to contribute physically if the fit is right.
For San Francisco, the move is best read as depth with purpose. Herbert brings a defined NFL track record, and in a league where backfield roles can shift quickly, that kind of stability has real value. It may not be the biggest move of the day, but it is the type of signing that can matter once the season starts asking harder questions.
