Turns out Arian Foster is coming back a lot sooner than initially thought, which is excellent news for the Houston Texans, who weren’t exactly thrilled about their other options at running back.
Foster was diagnosed with a torn groin which should have kept him out until November, but the surgery and treatment have gone better than expected, while the injury wasn’t as severe as initially thought. A sports hernia with a complication is more like it, and that means Foster might be back before September ends.
The 4-time Pro Bowler ran for 1246 yards last season in what was a massive comeback season for him following the 2013 season, which he missed half of. The Texans are one of the teams that rely more than anything else on the run. It was true last season with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, and it might even a stronger tendency this season with Brian Hoyer playing under center.
Meanwhile, while Foster is recovering, it’s going to be Alfred Blue, Jonathan Grimes and Kenny Hilliard who try to make up for the lost yards. Both Blue and Grimes don’t have the most impressive numbers to back up their higher position in the depth chart compared to the rookie out of LSU, but it’s not going to be surprising to see Hilliard taking over some touches and snaps from one of them in the first month of the season.