The Indianapolis Colts announced somewhat of a surprising move Monday afternoon when they claimed running back D’Onta Foreman off of waivers from the Houston Texans.
Waiving running back Keith Ford to make room for the transaction, Foreman comes to the Colts as an embattled player that will be looking to take advantage of this second chance.
Here are six things to know about Foreman—the newest Colts running back:
Third-round pick with the Texans
After a highly-productive career at Texas, Foreman entered the 2017 NFL Draft as an intriguing prospect given his size (6’1, 235) and speed. The Texans took him with the No. 89 overall pick in the draft, hoping he would eventually take over the backfield from Lamar Miller. He was the seventh running back taken in the draft.
At 235 pounds, Foreman reportedly ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash during his pro day workout at Texas. He won the Doak Walker award in 2016 as the nation’s best running back.
Lost an infant son during college
While Foreman was at Texas during the 2016 season, he lost an infant son of seven weeks in November. His son, D’Onta Jr., was born prematurely and died seven weeks after his birth due to an intestinal infection. Foreman revealed this news in April 2017, just days before the draft.
On the day his infant son died, Foreman rushed for 341 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Texas Tech.
Arrested in 2017
During the 2017 offseason, just a few weeks before returning for his first training camp as a Texan, Foreman was arrested in Austin, TX. He was charged with marijuana possession and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Both were misdemeanors, and he was released on bond.
The Colts have made it clear they have no problem taking on players who have red flags. The hope is the locker room will be able to help keep him focused on buying into the standards being set by the new regime.
Torn Achilles
Working in the backup role behind Lamar Miller in the Texans backfield, Foreman’s rookie season would abruptly come to an end when he suffered a torn Achilles while scoring a touchdown in Week 11. The injury was suffered without contact and would keep him off the field until late in the 2018 season.
One of the most difficult injuries to come back from, Foreman did wind up making a return when he was activated in December 2018. He played in just one regular-season game following his return from the Achilles injury.
Abrupt end in Houston
Even though there was some hype that Foreman would be in line to eventually usurp Lamar Miller as the starting running back in Houston, there were some concerns from the team regarding his work ethic. Citing said work ethic and being late to meetings, the Texans waived Foreman in a surprise move.
The Colts put a claim in to grab Foreman and add him to a backfield that has been changing ever since the start of training camp. With Spencer Ware moved to the Reserve/PUP, Foreman will have a chance to compete for a roster spot.
Fit with the Colts
The Colts backfield already knows who the starter is. That would be Marlon Mack. The addition of Foreman to the backfield shouldn’t change that dynamic to begin with. The Colts have faith Mack can be the leader of the room.
However, Foreman does bring some intrigue in that he could be the power rusher they have been looking for. With his size, there is a chance he competes with Jonathan Williams for the short-yardage role while even stealing some touches at the goal line.
He will need to prove he is ready to work and follow the standards set in the locker room, but he does add an interesting dynamic to the back end of the running back depth chart.
