Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase has been cautious when it comes to practicing and playing Arian Foster and for good reason. The running back tore his Achilles as a member of the Houston Texans against the Dolphins last October.
Gase didn’t play Foster in the Dolphins 27-10 preseason-opening victory against the New York Giants last week because Gase said he didn’t want Foster taking any unnecessary hits. On Tuesday, Gase was singing a different tune about Foster’s availability in the Dolphins second preseason game.
Foster is expected to play against the Cowboys on Friday night according to Gase.
“Right now, I’m pretty sure that he’s going to go,” Gase said of Foster after Tuesday’s practice. “Unless I change my mind for some reason, I want to see him get in there with that first group and get him a little feel for how we operate.”
Miami signed Foster last month right before training camp after he was released by the Texans last March after he played in just four games in 2015. To begin camp, Foster started on the physically unable to perform list. For the most part, Foster has practiced with the rest of the team the last two weeks.
There was a time where many people considered Foster the most complete running back in the NFL. In seven seasons, Foster has rushed for 6,472 yards and 54 touchdowns. He also has 249 catches and 14 receiving touchdowns.
The biggest problem with Foster is he hasn’t been able to stay healthy throughout his career. From 2012-15, he played in all 16 games in a season only once (2012). Since 2013, Foster has played in 25 of the 48 (52 percent) possible games during that span. 
So far during training camp, Foster hasn’t shown any effects of a torn Achilles as he has been cutting through holes and looking a lot like his former Pro Bowl self. With the uncertainty at the running back position, Foster could eventually become the Dolphins starting running back with an excellent showing during the preseason.
Current starting running back Jay Ajayi is going into his second season in the league. As a backup to former Dolphins running back Lamar Miller, Ajayi only carried the ball 49 times in 2015 for 187 yards and one touchdown.
Miami doesn’t have a lot of proven depth behind Foster and Ajayi as Damien Williams, Kenyan Drake, Daniel Thomas and Isaiah Pead are the other running backs on the roster.
Other Camp News and Notes
Kenyan Drake (hamstring), MarQueis Gray (leg), Farrington Huguenin (ankle), Chimdi Cheka (thigh), Earl Mitchell (calf) and Julius Walmsley (concussion) again did not practice on Tuesday morning. Starting left tackle Branden Albert also didn’t practice, but he was given a veteran’s day off.
“I just wanted to make sure that when we hit tomorrow, he (Albert) can go tomorrow,” Gase said. “Then we can do our walkthrough and then he can play in the game and he’s feeling as good as he can.”
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