1:40pm: According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), Foster will indeed require surgery on his groin. However, he’s expected to return to action during the regular season.
1:11pm: Texans running back Arian Foster sustained a groin injury during the Texans’ first fully-padded practice last night, reports Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com (Twitter links). According to Ganguli, the injury is “significant,” and there’s concern that the star back will require surgery. A source tells Jayson Braddock of ESPN 97.5 in Houston (Twitter link) that Foster may be a candidate for the injured reserve list with the designation to return.
Foster, who turns 29 later this month, has been slowed by injuries a few times during his six-year NFL career. While he posted excellent numbers for the Texans last season, he did so while missing three games due to a groin injury; in 2013, he only played eight games for Houston.
Depending on the severity of Foster’s injury, which has yet to be confirmed by the Texans, the team could explore the trade market or the free agent market, where veterans like Steven Jackson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Pierre Thomas, Chris Johnson, and ex-Texan Ben Tate remain unsigned. If Houston decides to roll with its in-house options, Alfred Blue would be first in line, with Chris Polk, Jonathan Grimes, and rookie Kenny Hilliard vying for touches as well.
As for Foster, if he does go under the knife and requires a lengthy recovery time, placing him on the IR with the designation to return is an option for the Texans, as Braddock notes. Such a move would force the veteran running back out of action for the first eight weeks of the regular season, however, so the club will have to be certain of the severity of the injury before making a final decision.