Losing Arian Foster for about half the season puts the Houston Texans in something of a bind at running back. They haven’t signed anyone yet as an emergency replacement (the market isn’t swelling with remaining talent), and it might be Chris Polk, another new player, who gets a the first opportunity to impress.
Polk is coming off three forgettable seasons in Philadelphia with the Eagles. As it seems, the Texans believe his ceiling is higher than Alfred Blue’s although his numbers in limited time on the field aren’t too impressive: 270 yards on 57 carries with 7 touchdowns. Obviously, there’s potential to post some bigger numbers with more touches, but how good can he be?
Both Blue and Jonathan Grimes, the in-house replacements, haven’t shown anyone too much, struggling to pick up more than three yards in their carries. There’s also rookie Kenny Hilliard, another LSU product, like Blue, but it doesn’t seem like the Texans have big plans for him at the moment. There’s always a chance for outside help, like Pierre Thomas who the Texans couldn’t come to terms with, but right now Polk seems to be in the lead for Foster’s job.