The Houston Texans suffered a big blow to their offense. Running back Arian Foster suffered a groin injury yesterday. He will require surgery to repair it. This means he will miss the start of the regular season. The Texans could place him on short-term injured reserve. His season wouldn’t be over and he may be able to rejoin the team after week 8. What does this mean for the Texans and who could they bring in to replace him?
Arian Foster is one of the best running backs in the game. According to ESPN, since the start of the 2010 season he has 31, 100 yard games, the most by a running back in the NFL. He is averaging the most yards per game from scrimmage at 121.2. In his career he has run for 6,309 yards and 53 touchdowns.
The problem with Arian Foster is that he hasn’t been healthy. In 2013 he had back surgery. That limited him to eight games. Last year he suffered a groin injury and a hamstring injury, playing 13 games.
The Texans are now looking to replace Foster. The other backs on the roster that have playing time in the NFL are Alfred Blue and Chris Polk. Alfred Blue ran for 528 yards and 2 touchdowns while Foster was out last year. Chris Polk saw limited action, rushing for 172 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. These players are not bad backups but they aren’t the player that Arian Foster is.
The Texans are starting their search for a replacement. Pierre Thomas is expected to visit Houston today. Thomas is an exceptional choice to replace Foster. Thomas spent eight years with the New Orleans Saints. In his career he has 3,745 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. He doesn’t have the speed of Foster but still can gain yards to move the chains. If the Texans work him out today and like what they see, they should sign him.
Another back they should consider is Ray Rice. Rice didn’t play football last year because he was suspended for hitting his fiancé, Janay Palmer. The NFL suspended him for 2 games. Once the video of Rice came out, he was suspended indefinitely. The Ravens terminated his contract. Rice appealed and was reinstated into the NFL last November. There hasn’t been a team who has taken a chance on Ray Rice. He deserves a second opportunity. Who better than the Texans? He is a Super Bowl winning running back. He has rushed for 6,180 yards and 37 touchdowns in six seasons.
There are two problems with Ray Rice. The first is can the team trust him off the field? That answer so far is yes, he has stayed out of trouble and the headlines. The other one is what kind of football shape is he in? He hasn’t played a down of football since 2013. The Texans might want to take a chance with Ray Rice. If he still has the quickness he had in Baltimore, he would be a better fit than Pierre Thomas.
Who should the Houston Texans sign to replace Arian Foster?
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