The Houston Texans made a surprising move Sunday morning by waiving running back D’Onta Foreman.
Although the 2017 third-round pick was struggling to come back from a torn Achilles sustained on Nov. 19, 2017, there was an expectation the former Texas Longhorn would have a chance to prove himself during preseason before the club starting pairing down from a 90-man roster to 53 by Week 1 of the regular season.
Even though there were reports the club felt Foreman had some growing to do, coach Bill O’Brien insists the decision to waive Foreman was related to roster construction and overall looking out for the team.
“I think any time you’re trying to make a decision in the best interest of the team,” O’Brien told reporters Monday after joint practice with the Green Bay Packers. “We’ve got some guys that are playing pretty good at that position and we had a need at some other positions. That’s just what we decided to do.”
In a corresponding move to waive Foreman, the Texans signed outside linebacker Gimel President to help out with the edge defense as the Jadeveon Clowney holdout continues.
“We wish D’Onta the best,” O’Brien said. “He’s a good guy, he’s got talent, and we wish him the best.”
The former 2016 Doak Walker Award winner tallied 326 yards and two touchdowns on 85 carries in his two seasons with the Texans. Foreman didn’t have to wait long to find another team as the Indianapolis Colts claimed the Texas City native off waivers Monday. If Foreman can manage to make the Colts’ 53-man roster and stay with the club, he will have a chance to prove his worth to the Texans on Oct. 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium and later on Nov. 21 at NRG Stadium in a Thursday night game. As it stands, Foreman would compete against Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines for playing time.
