The Atlanta Falcons signed running back Khalil Herbert to their practice squad on Wednesday, adding a proven veteran to a thin backfield after a pair of roster moves earlier in the week, the team announced.
The signing came as part of a broader set of transactions announced Sept. 16. Atlanta placed defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand on injured reserve and promoted tight end Nick Muse from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
To fill the openings created by Muse’s promotion — and after the Dallas Cowboys signed running back Tyler Goodson off Atlanta’s practice squad — the Falcons added Herbert and former second-round defensive end Drake Jackson.
Herbert, 28, has been in the NFL since 2021, when the Chicago Bears selected him in the sixth round (217th overall) out of Virginia Tech.
He spent four seasons at Kansas before transferring to Blacksburg and rushing for more than 1,200 yards as a senior.
In five NFL seasons he has appeared in 63 games with 13 starts — 12 of them in Chicago — totaling 1,957 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 416 carries (4.7 yards per attempt).
He has also caught 54 passes for 316 yards and two scores and has returned kicks throughout his career.
After his Bears tenure, Herbert was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024 and later played for the New York Jets in 2025.
He spent this past preseason with the San Francisco 49ers before being released. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham knows him well from their overlapping time in Chicago, a connection the team highlighted when announcing the move.
Atlanta currently carries only two running backs on the active roster: feature back Bijan Robinson and veteran Brian Robinson Jr. Cash Jones remains on the practice squad as well.
Herbert gives the staff a third-down and change-of-pace option who can also contribute on special teams if elevated. Practice-squad players can be elevated twice per week and three times in a season before a team must sign them to the 53-man roster.
Herbert is listed at 5-foot-9 and 212 pounds. He is not expected to unseat either Robinson immediately, but his experience and familiarity with Cunningham make him a logical insurance piece as the Falcons prepare for their Week 2 home opener against the Carolina Panthers.
The practice squad remains fluid, as it always does early in the season.
For now, Herbert gives Atlanta a veteran who has started games, produced as a complementary back, and already knows how NFL practice weeks work — a useful addition after the loss of Goodson and the promotion of Muse.
