Little Big Man

Slimmed-down D'Onta Foreman fills the Tennessee Titans' need for another sizable running back.

NASHVILLE – Size is relative. Even for an NFL player.

When he agreed to sign with the Tennessee Titans as a member of their practice squad, D’Onta Foreman checked in at 6-foot-1, 236 pounds. When measured against other stops along his football journey, he is small.

Compared to the other running backs who have spelled the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Derrick Henry for the last two-plus seasons however, Foreman is a big man. And he is as close as the Titans have to come having someone who can measure up to Henry – at least in terms of his build.

“We've had some smaller backs since I've been here,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “(Foreman) is someone that's been a lot bigger than what he is now. I think he's fast. He’s moving well. He's in really good shape. He’s probably in that middle tier [overall] but he's a bigger back for us.”

That is a big difference from the others who have backed up Henry since 2018, when he became Tennessee’s unquestioned starter. Outside of Foreman, the Titans have rolled through a number of smaller, quicker, “change-of-pace” backs.

A rundown of the running backs – other than Derrick Henry – who have gotten carries for the Tennessee Titans since the start of the 2018 season:

Player	Season(s)	Height	Weight
Dion Lewis	2018-19	5-8	195
David Fluellen	2018-19	5-11	224
Dalyn Dawkins	2018-19	5-7	183
Darrynton Evans	2020	5-10	203
Jeremy McNichols	2020	5-9	205
Senorise Perry	2020	6-0	210
D'Onta Foreman	2020	6-1	236

Foreman weighed 249 pounds in 2016 when he won the Doak Walker Award as the college football’s top running back and was a consensus All-American. Even with all that weight on his then-6-foot frame, he rushed for 2,028 yards and 15 touchdowns. His yardage total ranks among the top 30 in NCAA FBS history.

His diet at the time admittedly was not ideal for an elite athlete.

So, in preparation for the NFL Draft he educated himself about nutrition and food preparation, and he lost 16 pounds. At the 2017 NFL scouting combine, a medical exam revealed a stress fracture in his foot and compromised his ability to perform most of the drills.

The Houston Texans eventually selected him in the third round, but by the time Foreman reported to training camp as a rookie in 2017 then-coach Bill O’Brien said he was “out of shape.” He played 10 games before a torn Achilles ended his rookie season prematurely and prompted him to spend most of 2018 on the physically unable to perform list. When he finally returned to the active roster, O’Brien wondered during a press conference “Can he carry the ball more than two times in a row without having to go get a drink of water?”

Not surprisingly, the Texans cut Foreman in 2019. The Indianapolis Colts claimed him, but Foreman was released three weeks later after a short stint on injured reserve. He remained available until September, when the Titans signed him.

“I'm excited to have him with us,” Vrabel said. “He's been conscientious. He’s been into it. He’s taking advantage of opportunities.”

A significant one came Sunday at Cincinnati, when he was one of Tennessee’s two additions from the practice squad to the active roster. He played just six snaps on offense and carried five times for 37 yards.

Again, size being relative, while Henry is likely to put up those kinds of numbers on a single drive, for Foreman, it was one of the biggest days of his NFL career. He has only had four games in which he rushed for more yards and only one in which he had a better yards-per-carry average.

It also was his first NFL regular-season action in nearly two years and likely earned him another chance. Tuesday, the Titans made him one of their four protected practice squad players for this Sunday’s game against Chicago, a clear indication that coaches at least would like the chance to give him the ball again.

“The more guys that can help us the better, in my opinion,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. “That’s at every position. … Foreman did a nice job. It’s good to be able to have other guys [than Henry] to run the football.”

Particularly another big man. Even one – make that especially one – who is not as big as he once was.