It’s been a long road back for Brian Cushing, but after participating in 7-on-7 drills on Tuesday during Texans practice, apparently he is as ready as he will be start Week 1 one the team takes on the San Diego Chargers.
Sep 30, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans inside linebacker Brian Cushing (56) waits on the sideline during the game against the Tennessee Titans at Reliant Stadium. The Texans defeated the Titans 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
"“He looks good,” defensive coordinator Wade Phillips told NFL.com. “You can tell he can still really run. That’s the first thing you look for.”"
Earlier in the offseason I was a little skeptical of how well Cushing would return from injury. ACL tears are a hard thing to predict, and even though he hasn’t played at game speed just yet, this is all good news. Whether or not we’ll see much of Cushing during preseason this week against the Vikings on Friday still remains a mystery though.
There was also some other good news on defense on Tuesday, when Brooks Reed returned to the practice field after crashing into Owen Daniels on Sunday. He too is feeling fine, and thinks he’ll see some snaps down in Minnesota.
"“Yeah, I’m a go for Friday. I don’t know how many plays, but I’m a go,” Reed told the Houston Chronicle “It will only be about 15 plays, a couple of series’ worth. It will be fun to go out there and finally be able to tackle again and just experience a live game for a change up. It will be a good starting game for us and to kick start us back into the season.”"
Reed started in 12 games last year, and missed a few important ones against New England and Indianapolis. This year should determine whether Reed becomes a focal point of the team going forward, and realistically, whatever kind of numbers he ends up posting will determine that. If it’s only another 2.5 sacks and a handful of missed games though, 2013 could leave a lot to be desired.
Finally, don’t expect to see too many of the Texans’ starters padding up for their preseason opener. Tania Ganguili tweeted the following today, and after Ryan Tannehill stepped in for only five snaps during the Hall of Fame game, I don’t expect to see any more from Matt Schaub either.