The Houston Texans are planning to use a combination of Alfred Blue, Chris Polk, Jonathan Grimes and rookie Kenny Hilliard to replace Arian Foster in the starting lineup after the running back suffered a groin injury and the rotation will stay unless the team adds a free agent like Ray Rice, Pierre Thomas or Steven Jackson to the mix before the season starts.
The Texans were talking with Pierre Thomas about a free agent deal earlier in the month, but the sides could not agree. According to the Houston Chronicle, Thomas rejected a minimum deal from the Texans, but the report said that the sides could pick up talks again this summer. Ray Rice has been mentioned as potential target by Pro Football Talk, but the Texans have not made that move yet.
Alfred Blue is coming in after being the backup for Foster last year and he likely will start ahead of Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes. Losing Foster is tough, as he is one of the most productive backs in football rushing the ball and catching it out of the backfield. Foster could be out for a while, as the team may put him on IR with designation to return. If the team does not do that, a "best case scenario" could be Foster missing "2-4 weeks" and playing after the first few games, according to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson.
The Texans also finally settled their quarterback competition for the time being, as NFL.com is reporting that Brian Hoyer is being named the starter over Ryan Mallett. According to Pro Football Talk, head coach Bill O'Brien said that Hoyer "showed the most consistency" and the decision comes after each player had the chance to start a preseason game. While neither player was markedly better than the other, Hoyer has much more experience and he has previously worked with O'Brien and was comfortable in the offensive system.
Hoyer comes in with 32 starts in his career and he opened last season with a 7-4 record for the Browns before faltering down the stretch and getting injured. Mallett and Hoyer are both on two year deals, but Hoyer's deal has more money and while that is not the only reason he was named the starter, it may have made an impact. Hoyer played in 14 games last season and had 12 touchdowns with 13 interceptions for the Browns while completing 55 percent of his passes.
The Texans are also hoping that Jadeveon Clowney can make an impact this season after his rookie year was marred by injury issues. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports that while Clowney has been able to practice a bit with the team, he likely will not play in the next preseason game. Clowney is coming back from microfracture surgery and he has been practicing for about a week for the Texans. Clowney comes in after playing in four games and putting up seven total tackles with zero sacks.
Check here for more on the Texans RB situation and more on Hoyer and Clowney.
