Herbert was traded to the Bengals at the deadline after falling out of favor in Chicago. He fumbled his first touch as a Bengal and his new coaching staff instantly threw in the towel. Herbert didn’t see the ball much until a meaningless Week 18 affair in which he turned 27 touches into 83 scoreless yards. With two franchises showing little interest in using Herbert over the past year, Herbert isn’t a lock for a roster spot in Indy. He will look to carve out a role as Jonathan Taylor’s backup during the offseason program.

Pro Football Focus charted Herbert as playing only four snaps in Los Angeles on Sunday evening. So much for Herbert being ready for more work after getting the Bengals’ “mini bye” to catch up on the system. Herbert has contingency value behind Chase Brown, but not the kind that is worth a roster spot during the sprint to the fantasy playoffs.

We say “official” because Herbert actually took a hand-off. He simply fumbled it, with the miscue going on Joe Burrow’s record. It made for a calamitous Bengals debut, but one they probably won’t hold against him for Week 11 against the Chargers. They badly need help behind Chase Brown, and Herbert will be far more acclimated to the system by next Sunday. He is still a dubious bench stash in 12-team re-draft leagues.