Houston Texans' running back Arian Foster was hit by a major groin injury in training camp that reportedly would require surgery that will sideline the six-year veteran for most of the coming season, according to ESPN.

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Foster will most likely be included in the team's short-term injured reserve list to start the season. The soonest that he could return on the field was said to be on Week 8, against the Tennessee Titans on November 1, although he may start joining practices by mid-October.

The Texans were going through passing plays as their full-padded training camp sessions began on Monday when the four-time Pro Bowler went down and had a hard time getting up. He was carried off the field and did not return after the incident.

His temporary first-team replacement for the session, Alfred Blue, did not also finished the practice due to leg cramps.

NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk indicated Foster's injury would mean a lot for Bill O'Brien's offensive plays as the 28-year-old Albuquerque native is considered as the "most important offensive player" in the Texans' lineup.

The two-time First Team All-Pro and one-time Second Team All-Pro selection was said to be the basis of O'Brien's offense, and was reportedly the deciding factor to finalize who between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett would be the team's starting quarterback.

An interim option for Houston would be free agent running back Pierre Thomas, who played for the New Orleans Saints for eight seasons before his release on March 4. No team had shown interest for the Super Bowl XLIV champion as of yet, and the Texans are discussing a potential deal with the 30-year-old.

Even so, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport noted that it would not be the flawless temporary repair that O'Brien is looking for and the team may have to "explore outside options" until Foster returns.

The problem with Houston's predicament is that it happened too close to opening day and most of the quality free agent running back that may fill in for Foster are already settled with their respective teams.

Davenport said that to say Foster's injury was "bad news" would be "an understatement" for the Texans given the running back's importance to their whole scoring strategies, which operate mainly on the former Tennessee standout running the ball. 

TagsNFL, NFL 2015, NFL news, NFL News 2015, NFL rumors, NFL Rumors 2015, Houston Texans, Arian Foster