D’Onta Foreman thankful for day off, and opportunity

Of course, players were still messing with him about it, particularly the other running backs and wide receiver DJ Moore. Guys who have been around here were used to seeing McCaffrey get Wednesdays off, but with the amount of work he got over the years, that was understood. So when Foreman was bundled up in sweats and sunglasses on the sideline Wednesday, they got their jokes in.

“He’s been running hard, so I’ll say yeah, I’d say he deserves it,” Moore said. “I know the reason behind it, so he’s cool. I just like messing with him.”

Foreman’s straight-ahead style, along with an offensive line that is built for it, has been one of the hallmarks of the last six games under Wilks. Foreman has 413 yards and four touchdowns over that span, and his ability to be a high-volume runner and initiate the contact has earned him the respect of his teammates and the occasional chance to breathe. He was averaging 3.1 yards per carry over the first six games, since getting the ball more the last five games, that number jumped to 4.6 yards per carry.

“He brings a lot of contact,” Moore said. “It’s cool to see. But sometimes you want him to go down, but he’s going to run through somebody. It is what it is.

“He’s a downhill runner. You can’t do that all game and take hits from him, thinking he’s going to slow down. I know he’s going to keep trucking and doing what he’s doing.”