Texans running back Arian Foster returned to practice on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday because of a hamstring injury.
Foster spent the second half of the Texans' Week 2 victory at Miami on the sidelines after experiencing tightness in his hamstring. He was injured on the first day of training camp and aggravated the injury in a preseason game on Aug. 27.
"He was limited in practice today," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said on Thursday. "He went the whole practice. There's a progression here going on, and he's progressing very nicely. We'll see where he's at tomorrow.
"It is a day-to-day situation, but he took some limited reps today. He had a good workout yesterday. As I said, he can't go from zero to everything, so we're trying to keep this progression going."
If Foster is unable to play on Sunday at New Orleans, the Texans will be down to two healthy running backs, Ben Tate and Steve Slaton. Kubiak essentially ruled out running back Derrick Ward, who has a high-ankle sprain, after Thursday's practice.
"Derrick's probably definitely a no-go this week," Kubiak said. "He's going to take some more time with his ankle."
Wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who injured his knee at Miami, sat out of practice for the second consecutive day. The Texans are hoping for Jones to get back on the field on Friday and are optimistic that he'll play against the Saints.
"He did work with the trainers today, so he took like a limited practice on his own, not with the team," Kubiak said. "All indications have been working toward tomorrow anyways, so we'll see where he's at tomorrow."
