The Houston Texans have Arian Foster out with a groin injury and after surgery he will be out for a chunk of the season and the team could look at adding a running back to help with depth behind Alfred Blue, Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes and names like Pierre Thomas, Chris Johnson, Ray Rice, Steven Jackson and Ben Tate could be potential options.
The Texans and Pierre Thomas engaged in contract talks, but the two sides could not reach a deal last week. According to the Houston Chronicle, Thomas and the Texans were "not able to agree to terms" and the report said that it was "likely" the team offered Thomas the minimum deal. Thomas and the Texans could "revisit" talks down the road, but right now he is not coming in on a contract. Bill O'Brien said that the team is confident in Alfred Blue and the other running backs on the roster, but he did admit that the team could use a back that could do a "little of everything."
Foster fit that mold and now the team will have to find a way to re-create his production until he can return. Blue was a rookie last season and none of the backs on the roster have extensive experience and that could lead the Texans to add a free agent. Chris Johnson is available and is "mulling" and offer from the Cardinals, according to Jason La Canfora at CBS Sports. Johnson also is "fielding interest from other teams" and the Texans potentially could be in that mix.
Thomas would have been a nice fit since he can catch the ball out of the backfield and that is something that Foster was good at as well. According to the Houston Chronicle, the team has a few weeks to decide about placing Foster on the injured reserve designated to return list, which means he would be out until around Week 9 of the season. The report from John McClain speculates that Foster will be back "not later" than the second half of the schedule for the Texans.
Last season Foster was one of the most productive backs in football, but he missed three games with an injury and now the bug has hit him again. Foster last played a full season in 2012 and he comes in after rushing for 1246 yards and catching 38 passes last season. The Texans could look at Ray Rice, who is starting to get some interest from teams like the Browns and Cowboys, while Steven Jackson and former Houston RB Ben Tate are also available on the market.
The Texans were expected to rely heavily on Foster this season and now the team will have to deal with him being out for an extended period. The team is hoping to avoid having to put Foster on IR even with the return designation and time will tell on that decision. The Texans have Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett fighting for the starting job and Bill O'Brien has not yet named an official starter for the season. Hoyer signed from the Browns as a free agent.