Ryan Poles went into this offseason knowing he had to get his franchise quarterback, Justin Fields, some help. In less than a week, he did just that. He started out by trading the number one overall pick and acquiring DJ Moore. Moore gives the Bears an actual number-one receiving threat. But Moore isn’t the only offensive player new to Halas Hall and he also isn’t the only former Carolina Panther to join the Bears roster. During the second wave of free agency, Ryan Poles signed quarterback PJ Walker and running back D’onta Foreman.
PJ Walker played his college ball at Temple, but he is most known for his stint as the Houston Roughnecks quarterback in the 2020 edition of the XFL. He led the XFL in passing yards with 1,338 and passing touchdowns with 15. Walker led the Houston Roughnecks to a 5-0 record before the league shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Walker was then signed by the Carolina Panthers and played in four games during the 2021-2021 NFL season. In his NFL career, Walker has played 15 games and started seven. He has 1,461 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has a career completion percentage of 57.5% and a passer rating of 63.9. Those stats aren’t overly impressive, but PJ Walker is electrifying, just like Justin Fields. Walker has excellent improvisation skills. Although he is more of a pocket passer, he can still escape the pocket, dodge defenders in the open field, slip out of arm tackles and throw on the run. He doesn’t have the best arm strength, but he can still throw a good deep ball. The Bears signed Walker to a two-year, $5 million contract. Walker will serve as an experienced backup with a similar style of play to Justin Fields. Walker will provide lots of entertainment when watching preseason games.
Unfortunately, David Montgomery left Chicago for the division-rival Detroit Lions. I really liked Montgomery, but it might be in the Bears’ best interest to move on. Giving a running back a second long-term contract clearly isn’t one of Ryan Poles’ philosophies. Instead, Poles signed D’onta Foreman to a one-year contract worth 3 million dollars. Foreman was a third round draft pick by the Houston Texans in 2017. Foreman rushed for 327 yards and two touchdowns on 78 carries in his rookie year. Foreman’s rookie season ended when he tore his Achilles tendon on November 19th, 2017. Foreman had only seven carries in 2018. Foreman spent the 2019 and 2020 NFL seasons in Tennessee. Foreman accounted for 155 carries, 661 rushing yards, and three touchdowns across two seasons with the Titans. In 2022, Foreman signed with the Carolina Panthers on a one-year deal. Foreman took over as the lead back in Carolina after Christian McCaffrey was traded. Last season he rushed for 914 yards and five touchdowns on 203 carries. Foreman had a career-high 4.5 yards per carry in 2022 and averaged 4.3 yards a carry over his five-year career.
In comparison, David Montgomery has averaged 3.9 yards per carry in his four years with the Bears. Foreman runs like a bowling ball, and he’s built like one too. Foreman stands six feet tall and weighs 235 pounds. He’s good at breaking tackles and running over people and will likely serve as Chicago’s main rushing threat when the offense is near the goal line. Even though Foreman is a bigger back, he has no trouble getting to the second level of the defense. Foreman can run the ball up the gut or bounce it outside the hash marks. The main weakness of Foreman’s game is that he isn’t a pass-catching threat. He only has 23 catches for 265 yards and two receiving touchdowns in his career. If Khalil Herbert and Dont’a Foreman can’t improve their pass-catching ability, look for Travis Homer to make a significant impact as Justin Fields’ security blanket.
Maybe DJ Moore put in a good word about his former Panther teammates, or Ryan Poles and his staff had their eyes on Walker and Foreman from the start. Either way, the Bears got some excellent talent on bargain deals.
