Arian Foster has returned to the practice field, but the Houston Texans star running back doesn’t know when he’ll make his 2015 debut.
Per Drew Dougherty of Texans TV, though Foster said he feels “wonderful,” the 29-year-old hasn’t fully recovered from groin surgery.
"I feel wonderful."-RB Arian Foster. Doesn't have timetable return yet, also said groin "not 100" yet.
— Drew Dougherty (@DoughertyDrew) September 24, 2015
Foster appears slightly ahead of the anticipated two-to-three-month timeline Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported after the surgery on Aug. 7.
The Texans aren’t expecting Foster to return for their Week 3 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the team basically faces a worst-case scenario for the running back after Sunday’s outing.
Houston will travel to take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Oct. 4, before heading home and hosting the Indianapolis Colts for a Thursday Night Football showdown. Unless Foster feels game-ready at some point leading up to Atlanta, the short week won’t help him for Indy.
Despite the recent momentum for Foster—and returning to practice is an undeniably positive step—the most realistic return date is Oct. 18 against the Jacksonsville Jaguars.