Once again, the Houston Texans feature back has been beset by injury.
During Monday night’s practice at Houston Texans training camp, running back Arian Foster came up lame while making a cut on a pass play. The initial fear was that he had suffered a fairly significant groin injury that may require surgery.
Those fears were confirmed on Tuesday as multiple outlets are reporting the Foster will indeed have to undergo an operation to repair the injury. Despite that, Foster should be able to recover in time for the second half of the season.
#Texans RB Arian Foster suffered a major groin injury that’ll likely necessitate surgery, I’m told. Almost certainly headed to short-term IR
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 4, 2015
Arian Foster's severe groin injury will require surgery but he should be able to return during the season
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) August 4, 2015
The 29-year-old Foster will likely be put on the injured reserve with designation to return list. The earliest he would be able to return via this designation is after Week Eight. Since the Texans have a bye the following week, he could be available for Houston’s November 16th game at Cincinnati in Week Ten, which incidentally is a Monday Night contest.
Foster’s breakout season occurred in 2010, his second in the league. He finished with 1,614 yards and 16 touchdowns, both of which remain Texans franchise records. Houston made the postseason in both 2011 and 2012. Foster rushed for over 100 yards in his first three playoff appearances, becoming the first running back in NFL history to accomplish that feat. His 6,309 career regular season rushing yards is the highest in franchise history.
Despite his many accolades including four Pro Bowl appearances, Foster has struggled with injuries especially in recent years. He only played eight games in 2013 due to issues with a bulging disk in his back which required offseason surgery. The following season was a comeback of sorts as he rushed for 1,242 yards and eight touchdowns. Nevertheless, he did miss a few games late in the season due to a pulled groin.
Who knew that the same muscle would become an even bigger issue heading into 2015?
The Texans could rely on their existing corps of running backs that includes Alfred Blue, who rushed for 156 yards off of 36 carries in a 23-7 win over the Browns in Week 11 while in relief of Foster. The soon-to-be second year player out of LSU averaged 3.1 yards per carry while finding the end zone twice in his rookie season.
Might Houston also test the free agent waters? Two running backs are of interest on that front. Ahmad Bradshaw still has yet to sign with a team after his contract with the Colts expired after last season. And there still is a certain player by the name of Ray Rice out there that a desperate team might be compelled to take a shot at.
Either way, the Texans running back situation, looked at as one of their strengths heading into 2015, has now been riddled with uncertainty for at least the first half of the season.
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