If the Chicago Bears do not re-sign David Montgomery you are going to hear a lot of calls for big names such as Saquon Barkley. However, the point of letting Montgomery walk is to save money at the position, knowing that you have one arm of a one-two punch already in Khalil Herbert.
The team is looking to find a compliment and not a replacement for the entire backfield. So, fans should think a bit smaller. One name to consider is D’Onta Foreman.
Should Chicago Bears consider D’Onta Foreman?
D’Onta Foreman took a longer road to get here, but this may be a chance for him to sign somewhere with a real plan of using him. He was drafted in 2017, and in 2018 he tore his Achilles. This is usually a death blow for running backs but slowly worked himself back.
Foreman missed all of 2019 but was a backup to Derrick Henry on the Titans in 2020. In 2021, Henry went down and Foreman finally earned a chance. He flashed. It was just enough to go from the backup of Henry to Christian McCaffery’s backup.
However, with CMC getting traded, Foreman finally saw a chance to own a backfield. He took advantage and turned 203 carries into 914 yards, and five touchdowns. In comparison, Montgomery had 201 carries for 801 yards and five touchdowns. Formen was more efficient.
He is a force when he gets downhill, and he likes to punish and run between the tackles.
This is a pretty nice fit next to the running back known as ‘juice.’ Khalil Herbert is the explosion, and Foreman would be the power. With the big-name running backs getting paid this offseason, it may lead to Foreman getting underpaid.
Beyond that, his injury history will always follow him, and he will be 27 years old which is starting to get up there for running backs.
For Foreman, he should view Chicago and a timeshare with Herbert as an upgrade from the backup to Henry and McCaffrey. The money may not be crazy, but if the deal is fair, and he comes in a lot cheaper than Montgomery, it has to be considered.
The one big difference between the two is passing game value, though. Foreman struggled in pass protection, and they often subbed him out. This impacted his effectiveness as a pass catcher, as he only caught five passes. Herbert brings little to nothing in the passing game as well.
They would save money, and it is a great fit on the ground, but the need for a passing back would probably remain. Do they trust Trestan Ebner, or will they keep Darrynton Evans? Is that worth saving the money from Montgomery to Foreman?