The Texans have waived running back D’Onta Foreman, as John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter). This is obviously a disappointing result for Foreman and for Houston, who once believed that the Texas product — the 89th overall pick of the 2017 draft — had the potential to become the club’s No. 1 back.
Obviously, that never materialized, thanks in large part to an Achilles tear Foreman suffered in the second half of his rookie campaign. He had played sparingly to that point, but he showed some promise, racking up 327 yards on 78 carries (good for 4.2 YPC) and two touchdowns. He also caught six passes for another 83 yards.
But he tore his Achilles on a 34-yard touchdown run in Week 11 and spent the rest of 2017 on IR. He spent most of 2018 on the PUP list and was finally activated in December, but he carried the ball only seven times for -1 yard.
He appears to be completely healthy now, but the Texans were not happy with his work habits, and head coach Bill O’Brien was clearly less than enamored with Foreman. A reporter recently asked O’Brien about the third RB spot on the team’s roster — the reporter assumed, fairly, that Lamar Miller and Foreman were locks for the first two spots — and O’Brien replied, “who’re the first two?” (Twitter link via McClain). O’Brien then acknowledged that Miller was the starter while the backup competition was wide open.
The Texans may look to add another RB in the coming days, but for right now, the other backs on the roster are Josh Ferguson, Buddy Howell, and Taiwan Jones, along with several UDFAs. It’s not a particularly inspiring bunch, which makes the decision to waive Foreman even more telling. McClain notes in a separate tweet that the Texans will not become a potential landing spot for disgruntled Chargers back Melvin Gordon, as the club is focused on adding a backup for Miller.
It would not be surprising to see a team put in a waiver claim on Foreman, but even if he clears waivers, he should have another opportunity soon.
In a corresponding move, the Texans have signed LB Gimel President.
