4 Carolina Panthers that far exceeded expectations in 2022
By Dean Jones
D’Onta Foreman – Carolina Panthers RB
Christian McCaffrey is currently thriving with the San Francisco 49ers after his high-profile trade before the deadline. The Carolina Panthers needed to boost draft capital to make their head coaching vacancy more appealing to potential candidates, even if that meant parting ways with the league’s best dual-threat weapon along the way.
Not having McCaffrey was a blow. But the performances of D’Onta Foreman as part of a new committee approach ensured his loss wasn’t felt nearly as much.
Foreman was an afterthought when Matt Rhule called the shots but found a new lease of life when increased responsibilities came his way. A bruising running style caused endless problems for opposing defenses behind a strong offensive line, which became a source of huge encouragement after so much inept protection in recent years.
There were times when Foreman couldn’t get things going. But overall, his production cannot be looked at with anything other than optimism.
The former Texas star finished with 914 rushing yards and five touchdowns from 203 carries. Foreman is about to embark on contract discussions with the Panthers or another team in free agency, but his chances of an extended stay increased exponentially after an eye-catching emergence over the second half of 2022.