Over the last two years, D’Onta Foreman has started 12 games, but only in the absence of two of the best running backs in the NFL: He started three games in Tennessee in 2021 when Derrick Henry was injured, and he started nine games in Carolina in 2022 after Christian McCaffrey was traded.
Now Foreman has arrived in Chicago as a free agent, and he says he thinks he’s shown that he deserves to be a starter.
“When I knew I had the opportunity to be the guy, I tried to do it to the best of my ability,” Foreman said. “I opened some eyes to show what I bring to the table. I want to build on that and continue to grow.”
Foreman said he was proud that the Titans’ and Panthers’ running games didn’t fall apart when he filled in for Henry and McCaffrey.
“I can play just as good as some of the best people in the league,” he said. “I think I’m right there with those guys.”
Will Foreman be the guy in Chicago? He knows Khalil Herbert returns from last year’s team, and he also knows that Justin Fields is one of the NFL’s best runners at the quarterback position. But Foreman says he intends to be the guy for the Bears.
“I came here to try to be the guy,” Foreman said. “If I didn’t come here with that mentality I’d be doing myself a disservice and doing the team a disservice.”