WATCH: Every D’Onta Foreman carry, catch and TD from Week 7’s win over Raiders

Chicago Bears veteran running back D’Onta Foreman proved against the Raiders why GM Ryan Poles thought he’d be an adequate replacement for David Montgomery in free agency. And it’s about time, too.

Foreman’s Bears career got off to an odd start. He had five carries for 16 yards in Week 1, followed by a series of healthy scratches before taking over as Chicago’s RB1 in Week 6 after Khalil Herbert suffered an ankle injury. Herbert remains on injured reserve.

It appeared Foreman was headed down the bust trail before his mini-breakout against the Vikings. He ran the ball 15 times for 65 yards, and while it wasn’t a great game, it helped re-establish his role as a capable between-the-tackles runner.

In Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Foreman announced his arrival as the Bears’ potential RB1 for the rest of the season. He finished Week 7 with 16 carries for 89 yards and three total touchdowns. He was effective inside, outside, and as a receiver.

Perhaps Foreman’s role will shrink now that rookie Roschon Johnson has (conceivably) cleared the concussion protocol. Johnson was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and was slotted ahead of Foreman on the depth chart before getting knocked out of the last two games.

But injuries create opportunities for backups to become must-start players. Foreman may not be at that level yet, but he’s getting close. He proved in 2022 that he could be the centerpiece of a running game when he ran for 914 yards and five touchdowns in nine starts for the Panthers. Last week’s performance may have jumpstarted a similar stretch of games coming for the six-year pro.

Watch for yourself. Here’s a video of every touch D’Onta Foreman had in Week 7’s win over the Raiders.