Derrick Ward has been working with the starers with Arian Foster (hamstring) sidelined. This confirms that Ward is currently Foster's direct backup. If he can hold off Ben Tate and win the job, Ward will be a decent handcuff for Foster owners. Ward racked up an impressive 6.3 yards-per-carry average with the Texans last year and fits the zone-blocking scheme nicely.

Derrick Ward is expected to enter training camp ahead of Ben Tate on the Texans' depth chart. Tate will have to "unseat" Ward to emerge as Arian Foster's clear-cut backup. "If Derrick takes off where he left off [in 2010], it's going to be tough to do it," says running backs coach Chick Harris. Tate does possess a talent edge on Ward, so this one should go down to the wire.