Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
After a frustrating finish to the 2023 season, former Chicago Bears running back D’Onta Foreman has landed his next NFL gig with an AFC contender.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Cleveland Browns are signing Foreman to a one-year contract for the 2024 season. The 27-year-old will now have a chance to compete with Cleveland’s other backs, Jerome Ford and Nyheim Hines, as the Browns await the return of star Nick Chubb from last year’s season-ending ACL injury.
The Bears could have tried re-signing Foreman to their 2024 roster in free agency, but they instead opted to spend a little bigger and signed former Philadelphia Eagles starter D’Andre Swift to a three-year, $24 million contract. Swift is likely the new lead back in Chicago, but the Bears also return Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer.
In truth, there just wasn’t much room to bring back Foreman — not that he seemed likely to return in the first place considering how their time together ended.
D’Onta Foreman Seemed Bound to Depart From Bears
Foreman had a peculiar year with the Bears in 2023. They signed him to a one-year, incentive-laden contract after letting starter David Montgomery walk in free agency, but he began the regular season as their No. 3 running back behind Herbert and the fourth-round rookie Johnson. The Bears even made him a healthy scratch in four of their first five games, giving preference to Homer because of his role on special teams.
Then, when Herbert suffered an ankle injury in Week 5, Foreman jumped into the lead role for the Bears backfield and started eight of their next nine games, rushing for 409 total yards and scoring four touchdowns (one receiving). His production (3.9 yards per carry) seemed to warrant a continued role even once Herbert returned, but the Bears disagreed and made Foreman a healthy scratch for the final three games of the season.
Foreman seemed frustrated with his usage and even took to X to write a cryptic post that seemed directed at the Bears. The night before the team made him a healthy scratch in Week 17, he posted, “Ain’t no love in this s***. You gotta know that!”
Ain’t no love in this shit! You gotta know that! 🥷🏽
Now, Foreman never elaborated on his post or specifically said he did not want to return to the Bears, but the writing seemed to be on the wall that neither side would be highly motivated to get back together during the 2024 season. The Bears also switched offensive coordinators, firing Luke Getsy and hiring Shane Waldron to replace him.
Moving on simply made sense from every angle.
How Secure is Khalil Herbert With Bears in 2024?
The Bears are in an interesting spot at running back when it comes to the 2024 season. Few people expected them to make a serious investment at the position in free agency, but they still swung big and signed Swift to the third-most lucrative contract handed out to a running back in free agency — just behind Saquon Barkley ($12.5 million per year) in Philadelphia and Josh Jacobs ($12 million) with the Green Bay Packers.
So, what does that mean for the rest of their running backs?
For Johnson, it likely does not change much. He looked mostly promising as a second or third option for the Bears during his 2023 rookie season, rushing for 352 yards and showcasing a dual-threat side of his game with 34 receptions for another 209 yards. For all intentions and purposes, he looked to be exactly what the Bears thought they were getting in him, even if they did not rush to crown him their starter.
Herbert, however, could be a different story. He has been effective and efficient in his three seasons with the Bears, never receiving worse than a 77.1 single-season rushing grade from Pro Football Focus. He also averaged more than 4.6 yards on 132 carries in 2023 despite missing five games with an ankle injury that slowed him even longer.
At the same time, Herbert is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and is a selection from the previous regime. That’s not to say general manager Ryan Poles does not extend players he did not draft — look at Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson — but he does also have a running back he drafted looking ready to step into the No. 2 role.
If a good trade offer comes in for Herbert, who knows what could happen?