Report: Texans' Arian Foster could return in less than 3 months

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster underwent surgery Friday to repair a groin muscle that was torn off the bone, according to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.

The Texans were expected to place Foster on short-term injured reserve, which would force him to miss at least the first eight regular-season games, but there's hope he could return in less than three months, Ganguli adds.

Foster, a four-time Pro Bowler, has been among the NFL's most productive running backs since earning a starting job in 2010.

A recovery timeline may not become clear for a few weeks, but the mere chance he'd be healthy sooner than anticipated could have the Texans willing to keep him on the active roster instead of short-term IR.

The Texans will likely use a committee approach at running back in Foster's absence, with Alfred Blue, Chris Polk, and potentially another free-agent addition seeing the majority of opportunities.