Houston, TX – The Houston Texans activated All-Pro running back Arian Foster from the active/physically unable to perform list Wednesday, with the hope he'll be ready to go when the team opens the regular season in less than three weeks.
Foster, the 2010 NFL rushing champion who led the league with 17 total touchdowns last season, had been sidelined all throughout training camp with a strained calf and soreness in his back, participated in a portion of team drills for the first time this summer on Wednesday. Head coach Gary Kubiak told reporters afterward that the three-time Pro Bowl selection is unlikely to play in either of Houston's two remaining preseason games, but he expects Foster to be available for the club's Week 1 matchup against San Diego on Sept. 8.
The fifth-year standout is coming off a 2012 campaign in which he ran the ball an NFL-high 351 times for 1,424 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground, his third consecutive season of at least 1,200 rushing yards and 10 scores. Foster added 40 receptions totaling 217 yards and two more touchdowns.
With Foster back practicing, safety Ed Reed is the lone Houston player still on the PUP list. The veteran free-agent addition is still recovering from offseason hip surgery and remains questionable for the opener.