Texans Lose Wade Smith, Gain Brian Cushing for Week 2

A week ago in Minnesota, the Texans defense forced two interceptions from Vikings quarterbacks Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel. While it is preseason and pretty much none of that matters, Wade Phillips’ defense accomplished all of that without Brian Cushing on the field.

Jul 27, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans inside linebacker Brian Cushing (56) practices during training camp at Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

But while other players such as defensive tackle Terrell McClain showed his worth last week with two sacks, the spotlight will finally be on Cushing this week, as The Houston Chronicle reports he’ll play at home against the Miami Dolphins, and have a chance to pressure Ryan Tannehill, even if it is for only a handful of snaps.

For most of the offseason, we’ve heard nothing but good things from camp about how well Cushing is practicing. Even though the news is a big plus for the Texans defense, who played without several starters last week, Cushing still recognizes there’s a lot left to do.

"“There’s still work to do, rust to shake off, but I’m ready to go,” Cushing said. “I’m looking forward to it.”"

Meanwhile, beneath all of this good news, lies some bad news about one of the teams Pro Bowlers. According to a few different reports, left guard Wade Smith underwent anthroscopic knee surgery, and is likely to miss most of (if not all) of the season. It was a simple knee knock that occurred during practice that has likely limited Smith for the rest of the year.

Smith hasn’t missed a start in his four year Texans career up until now.