Proposed Trade Sees Cowboys Acquire Potential Red Zone Back From Bears

Getty The Cowboys could find an ideal fit in Bears RB D'Onta Foreman.

The Dallas Cowboys could cure their red zone woes by making a trade with an NFC rival.

As proposed by SB Nation’s Blogging the Boys’ Brian Martin, a trade for Chicago Bears running back D’Onta Foreman “could help” their red zone issues. In their first season without Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys rank 27th in red zone offense, scoring touchdowns on just 40% of their red zone trips. Just a year prior, Dallas ranked first in red zone offense, scoring touchdowns on 71.4% of their red zone opportunities.

Martin argues that by acquiring Foreman — a 6-foot-1, 235-pound back — Dallas can find their Elliott replacement and the “thunder” to Tony Pollard’s lightning as a complementary short-yardage back.

“D’onta Foreman is a 6’1″, 235-ish pound running back could be the thunder to Tony Pollard’s and Rico Dowdle’s lightning if acquired via trade,” writes Martin. “He currently looks to be on the outs with the Chicago Bears after being a healthy inactive the last two weeks. If that is indeed the case, the Cowboys would be wise to check on his availability.”

Why the Bears Would Consider Trading D’Onta Foreman

The 27-year-old Foreman finds himself buried on the Bears’ depth chart after signing a one-year, $2 million deal with Chicago during the offseason. While Foreman appeared in the team’s Week 1 opener against the Green Bay Packers — he carried the ball five times for 16 yards with two receptions — he’s been inactive over the past two weeks.

Khalil Herbert is considered the Bears’ starting running back with rookie fourth-round draft pick Roschon Johnson as the backup running back. According to Chicago’s depth chart, special teams ace Travis Homer is actually the third-string back, with Foreman as the fourth-string back.

While Foreman likely won’t see any significant playing time moving forward with Chicago, he’s just a year removed from a career season with the Carolina Panthers. Following the Panthers’ trade of star back Christian McCaffrey, Foreman became the starting running back for Carolina. Foreman ran for 914 yards on 4.5 yards per carry and five touchdowns in nine starts.

According to Pro Football Focus, Foreman posted a solid 73.1 offensive grade and 76.5 rushing grade last season.

Why D’Onta Foreman Trade Makes Sense for Cowboys

With that being said, he would be asked to replace the red zone efficiency of Elliott, who ran for 12 touchdowns last season, ranking fifth in the NFL. Elliott scored a touchdown once every 19.3 carries. By comparison, Foreman has run for just 10 touchdowns on 448 carries across his six seasons in the NFL. That’s one touchdown nearly every 45 attempts.

While Foreman isn’t exactly a proven short-yardage, goal-line threat, he certainly possesses the size that could make him a major threat in the red zone. When factoring in that the Cowboys’ current backs — Pollard, Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis and the 5-foot-5 Deuce Vaughn — aren’t red zone stallions by any means, it couldn’t hurt to try out Foreman in the role.

Considering Foreman adds little value to the Bears, he could be acquired for a low-level draft pick such as a seventh-round pick. If the Cowboys’ red zone struggles continue, it may be worth looking into adding Foreman via trade.