Jay Foreman ranks in the all-time elite tier for linebackers β a career that places Foreman in the top 10% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Foreman a career score of 68, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
Jay Foreman
Top 8% all-time linebackersIron Man
Height6'1"
Weight240 lb
BornFeb 18, 1976
Age50
CollegeNebraskaSee College Stats
Rookie yr1999
Draft1999 Β· Rd 5, Pick 156 Β· BUF
A high-end linebacker defined as much by exceptional availability β almost never missed time as by their on-field impact (top 10% all-time). Coaches and teammates could count on them being available.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 88 Β· #1316 Β· High-ValueWorth 88 points of value above a freely-available replacement linebacker β top 29% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 5 of 5 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +17.6 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
5 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
47
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
5
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+17.6
Avg surplus
peak +27
5 seasons Γ ~17.6 surplus β VORP 88
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
1 grid split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkl | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sk | Dis | Int | PD | FF | FR | TD | Sfty | |||||
| 2000 | β | BUF | 7 | β | 37 | 19 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | β | BUF | 16 | β | 79 | 51 | 28 | 8 | 3 | 2.5 | 13.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | β | HOU | 16 | β | 105 | 69 | 36 | 8 | 0 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | β | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | β | HOU | 16 | β | 106 | 71 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | β | HOU | 11 | β | 62 | 36 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | β | 66 | β | 389 | 246 | 143 | 16 | 3 | 4.5 | 23.5 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Defense
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 68 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a well-rounded profile that scores 68 of 100, era-normalized against tackles/g peers across 5 scored seasons.
67
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
71
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 68.6 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 68Β· confidence 98%
What builds the career mark of 67
On-field 49.2
Availability 17.8
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative tackles/g)
2000bestavg 65elite 702004
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position2
Depth
of 100
Reached 2% of the all-time Sacks leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
2% of the all-time Sacks leader2
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 86%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average linebackers aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Postseason Career
1 playoff gameDefense
Tkl1Ast1
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Nebraska), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Aaron GlennDB3yGary WalkerDE3yJabar GaffneyWR3yJamie SharperOLB3yMarcus ColemanDB3yKailee WongLB3yKenny WrightDB3yCorey BradfordWR3ySeth PayneDT3yDavid CarrQB3yEric BrownS3yBilly MillerTE3yJason SimmonsDB3yJerry DeLoachDE3yCorey SearsDE3yJonathan WellsRB3yErik FlowersDE3yChad StanleyP3yTroy EvansOLB3yKris BrownK3yAndre JohnsonWR2yPat WilliamsDT2yAntoine WinfieldCB2yEric MouldsWR2y
1999 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #156
#145Cameron SpikesG#146Eric BartonILB#147Jerry AzumahCB#148Darrin ChiaveriniWR#149Mike RosenthalG#150John McLaughlinDE#152Charlie RogersRB#153Rod ColemanDT#157Terry JacksonRB#158David BowensILB#159De'Mond ParkerRB#160Jason CraftDB#164Eugene BakerWR#171Tai StreetsWR#172Cecil MartinRB#173Kelly GreggNT
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterJay inherited the Houston Texans LB room from Jamie Sharper (2002β2004), and handed it to Kailee Wong (2002β2006).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 2004final season
Last recorded season with HOU
- 2002team change
Joined HOU (from BUF)
- 1999draft
Drafted by BUF β Round 5, Pick 156
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'1" / 240 lb
Frame
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 5-season peers. See all β
68
peak 71
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C2000
B2001
B+2002
B+2003
B2004
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 5 seasons.
92%
Era Translator
Tackles translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Tackles | Tackles/G | β 2025 Tackles | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 37 | 5.3 | 86+49 | 5.1 |
| 2001 | 79 | 4.9 | 74-5 | 4.3 |
| 2002 | 105 | 6.6 | 111+6 | 6.6 |
| 2003 | 106 | 6.6 | 112+6 | 6.6 |
| 2004 | 62 | 5.6 | 90+28 | 5.3 |
Data: nflverse:players, nflverse:player_stats_def, nflverse:draft_picks, espn.com:stats-api (facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
88 career value over replacement β #1316 all-time of 4,642. 17.6/season above a replacement-level LB.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #156 (Rd 5) Β· BUF Β· 1999 Β· +35 vs expected KV-H
68actual
33 expected Β· Ξ+35
Fan Rating
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