How will Chicago Bears distribute touches between D’Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson?

LAKE FOREST – Standing in front of his locker at Halas Hall this week, Bears running back D’Onta Foreman was asked if he was tired of having to prove himself.

Injuries derailed the early part of Foreman’s career, and since then the 27-year-old has had to prove himself during two stints with the Titans in 2020 and 2021, with the Panthers last season, and now with the Bears in 2023.

Foreman couldn’t help but smirk at the question.

“I definitely feel like that, honestly, but it’s a business,” he said. “I’ve been around a lot of really good running backs, a lot of good competition. So I take nothing away from those guys, they push me each and every day to continue to excel and get better.”

Foreman scored three touchdowns last week and totaled 120 yards from scrimmage. This comes after Foreman spent several weeks on the bench, inactive on game days. Not until starting running back Khalil Herbert injured his ankle at Washington on Oct. 5 did Foreman earn a real chance to play.

The Bears also brought in running back Darrynton Evans to serve as Foreman’s backup the past two weeks. Evans, who played for the Bears last year, was plucked off Miami’s practice squad earlier this month. Having played with Foreman in Tennessee, Evans is not surprised by his big game last week.

“It’s pretty normal,” Evans said. “He’s been doing that. I look at it like: He did it in Tennessee. He did it in Carolina. That’s just the track record.”

Evans rushed for 48 yards on 14 carries last week as the No. 2 back.

This week, the Bears have rookie running back Roschon Johnson returning after missing two weeks due to a concussion. Johnson said he is 100% and he doesn’t hold any injury designation ahead of the game.

It’s anybody’s guess what the distribution of touches will look like Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, but this much is certain: Foreman’s running style is emblematic of who the Bears want to be.

“When you watch us play, and it really doesn’t matter the position, when we strike an opponent, we want the opponent to be going backwards,” running backs coach David Walker said. “That’s at all positions. That’s who we want to be. You should be able to feel our play at all positions. Not just see.

“Everybody in the stadium could feel him on Sunday afternoon.”

Foreman has probably done enough to earn the lead running back role, at least while Herbert remains out. In his last full game before the concussion, Johnson played 22% of offensive snaps behind Herbert. It was not exactly a split backfield.

Johnson brings some intangibles as a pass blocker and he, like Foreman, runs hard. Still, Foreman’s production has been undeniable. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Foreman ran for 32 rushing yards over expected last week, which ranked second among running backs in Week 7. He was among the most efficient backs in all of football last week.

“I definitely do think my physicality brings energy to the team,” Foreman said. “I think they kind of feed off that energy when I go out there and do what I do.”

I definitely do think my physicality brings energy to the team. I think they kind of feed off that energy when I go out there and do what I do.”

—  D'Onta Foreman, Bears running back

The bigger question might be what happens when Herbert eventually returns. By going on injured reserve, Herbert must miss at least two more games before he can return. Herbert and Foreman both look like highly capable running backs.

With the way Foreman has played, it seems highly unlikely the Bears would go back to designating him inactive on game days. How they distribute touches between them could be tricky. It could also limit the snaps for Johnson and Evans.

But the Bears don’t have to worry about that yet.

“You’ve just got to take it one day and one week at a time and worry about, really, right now,” Evans said. “Focus on what I can do. Go out there, play the best I can play, put out my best film, help the team win and then everything outside of that, it ain’t up to me.”