Arian Foster won't play again for the Texans in 2015.
In what came as no surprise to anyone who saw the running back go down with a lower leg injury near the end of Sunday's loss at Miami, Foster was ruled out for the remainder of the season by Bill O'Brien.
But what next?
Alfred Blue, Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes have all carried the ball this season behind Foster. Fullback Jay Prosch has also rushed four times for 28 yards. But they might not be the only ones called upon this week and beyond to help out in Foster's absence.
"There are other guys on our roster that have played running back before, so we may even do some of that," O'Brien said. "We're still talking about that as we sit here on Monday."
Cornerback Charles James, II took snaps at running back during training camp practices. In the preseason game at New Orleans, he carried the ball for a 73-yard touchdown that was nullified because of a penalty.
Whether it's any of the five mentioned above, or someone else, the Texans say the running backs corps is a unit on which they'll be able to rely.
"I think they're very capable backs," left tackle Duane Brown said. "Unfortunately, Arian – we've been without him a few games this year, so we're kind of familiar with what Blue, Grimes and Polk can bring to the table."
Blue is the only Texan this season to crack the 100-yard mark on the ground in a game. His 31-carry, 139 yard outburst in Week 3 helped pace the Texans to a win over Tampa Bay.
"Blue had a really big game one game this year, so hopefully we can get more production like that," Brown said. "Not just from him, but from others. Running game will be a very crucial thing for the rest of the year. Looking forward to seeing what they can do."
Grimes has 14 rushes for 54 yards, and will likely get more chances in the coming weeks. But that won't change the way he'll get ready for the final nine games.
"We all prepare as if we are going to start, so everyone is just going to step up," Grimes said.
| ATTEMPTS | YARDS | |
| Alfred Blue | 60 | 234 |
| Chris Polk | 40 | 138 |
| Jonathan Grimes | 14 | 54 |
| Jay Prosch | 4 | 28 |
| TOTAL | 118 | 454 |
Grimes and company have Tuesday off and will return to the practice field at the Houston Methodist Training Center on Wednesday.
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