For now at least, Minnesota Vikings tailback Michael Bennett will eschew a second surgery on his injured left foot, ESPN.com has learned, and instead will undergo a less invasive procedure that he hopes might get him back on the field by midseason.

Likely within the next week, Bennett will have bone marrow extracted from his hip. The marrow will then be mixed with a protein agent known as Ignite, and injected in his foot, in a unique procedure developed by Charlotte, N.C.-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert Anderson, the foot specialist who examined Bennett earlier this week.

The purpose of the procedure is to stimulate and promote healing to the fractured fifth metatarsal bone, an area of the foot where blood flow is diminished. The foot will then be re-cast and Bennett will resume electrical bone stimulation. The third-year veteran also will undergo hydrotherapy, with the workouts in a swimming pool aimed at reducing the pressure on his foot.

Following approximately one month of that program, the foot will be re-examined and probably scanned, and a determination on further treatment will be based on the results of that re-check. Even if progress remains slow at that point, surgery will not necessarily be indicated, said sources close to the Vikings star runner.

In fact, there is some chance Bennett may continue the more benign treatments all the way through the season, in an effort to play at least part of the campaign. If that becomes the case, surgery might be delayed until January or beyond.

"One of the components," said a source, "is just how much pain Michael can tolerate. The surgery is probably going to be necessary at some point. If it gets to a point where he can play and the pain isn't debilitating, then he'll play, because he likely wouldn't do any more damage to the foot."

The club's first-round choice in the 2001 draft, Bennett initially injured his left foot early in the offseason, although he isn't sure of precisely when the fracture occurred. Bennett experienced pain in the foot while working out on a treadmill, and apprised team trainers of it, and a subsequent examination indicated the fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone.

Early indications were that there were no complications and that the foot would heal in the normal rehabilitation time, about six weeks, with Bennett scheduled to be recovered in time for camp. At recent mini-camps, though, Bennett experienced soreness and pain in the foot. That prompted his request for a second opinion and then the Wednesday exam by Dr. Anderson.

Bennett, 24, and team officials believed, until Wednesday, that the pain was just a function of the rehabilitation process, a soreness a result of the tailback participating in his first full workouts in three months. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and Bennett and the team now face weeks of uncertainty.

The speedy tailback certainly was a principle catalyst for a Vikings running game that averaged a league-best 156.7 yards per game in 2002, as the former Wisconsin standout rushed for 1,296 yards, in what most observers felt was a breakout season.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.