Bears RB D’Onta Foreman says he’s in Chicago ‘to be the guy’

Newly minted Chicago Bears running back D’Onta Foreman is a confident dude. He has every reason to be after rushing for more than 2,000 yards for the University of Texas in 2016. Before last season, when he ran for over 900 yards and five touchdowns, his NFL career had been a disappointment. But that’s all changed.

Foreman’s inability to emerge as a lead back in the NFL resulted from things outside his control. He’s suffered two major injuries in his career (a torn Achilles and bicep), and when he was healthy, he was stuck behind players like Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey on the depth chart.

But whenever Foreman’s number was called as a reserve, he produced. He’s never averaged less than 4.2 yards per carry in a season. He had a career-best 4.5 yards per carry in 2022 in a season that also set a career-high in carries (203).

Even at 26 (soon to be 27), D’Onta Foreman’s best football as a starting running back might be ahead of him. He certainly doesn’t talk like a player who’s fine with being a backup.

“I can’t really speak for the coaches and the plan that they have,” Foreman said. “I came here to try to be the guy. I think if I didn’t come here with that mentality, I would be doing myself a disservice. I think I would be doing the team a disservice. All due respect, humble confidence, not trying to make it seem like anything other than just exactly what it is. That’s just me being confident in myself and feeling like I could come in and be the guy and be a guy that people count on and I can help us win.”

Will D’Onta Foreman unseat Khalil Herbert as Bears’ RB1?

It’s unlikely Foreman will get the first crack at the Chicago Bears’ starting job. It’s a gig that should belong to Khalil Herbert, who was even more impressive than Foreman in 2022. Herbert averaged a remarkable 5.7 yards per carry last year.

But there’s no denying Foreman has more traits consistent with an every-down feature back. He’s 236 pounds and ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at his college pro day. He runs with light feet that complement his powerful pad level. There’s no reason why he can’t split carries evenly with Herbert and eventually become the Chicago Bears’ primary back inside the red zone.

And if that happens, D’Onta Foreman will be a force to be reckoned with.

“I’m coming here with the mindset of wanting to be the guy,” Foreman said, “wanting to be a person who can help this team and make a lot of plays for this team. I know that’s my mentality and I plan on doing that.”