Four months later, Cushing's injury history still a concern

Brian Cushing leaves practice Wednesday wearing a brace on his injured knee  (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Brett Coomer)

It was disappointing to say the least when Texans fans heard the reports about Brian Cushing's knee injury this morning. 

That's not what you want to hear about your first round draft pick who is expected to be a major player on your defense.

I guess the bright side is that it wasn't an ACL or won't require surgery (based on early reports).  But it is the same knee that he's had arthroscopic surgery on in the past.

Hopefully the early reports of a 2-3 week rehab are accurate and this isn't something that lingers throughout the season.  Moveover, let's hope this isn't a foreshadowing of something far more troubling. 

Some might remember that I wasn't all that high on Cushing prior to the draft - in part because of his injury history - but I started to warm up to #56 over the past few weeks, because of the way he went about his business. 

He's a quirky but no-nonsense guy who's intense and takes his job seriously.  He appears to be a good teammate.  He added a lot of size and speed to a smallish linebacker corps, so yes, I was starting to come around on the Cushing pick.

But today brings me right back to an article I wrote on April 26 where I expressed concern over Cushing's injury history. 

That collection of thoughts seem as relevant today as they were nearly four months ago.  Maybe even more relevant.

Hopefully this latest issue becomes a non-issue once the season starts, but considering the history, I reserve the right to remain concerned.

You can check out details of an LCL sprain here.