Andre Johnson Reports To Training Camp, Now What?
By Joey Buchta
Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
1. The Health of Brian Cushing and Arian Foster
Arguably two of the biggest reasons why the Texans fell apart last year were the injuries to Cushing and Foster. All news has been good as far as Foster’s recovery. Cushing’s injury was more serious and he was placed on the PUP list earlier in the week.
The assumption is that Bill O’Brien will rely on the running game and good defense to help quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick minimize turnovers. This makes both players return to form that much more important.
There’s no Ben Tate sitting on the bench in case Foster isn’t 100%.
They’ve accumulated depth at inside linebacker with the trade for Akeem Dent, adding highly praised rookie Max Bullough, and asking Brooks Reed to be ready to play inside or outside. Still, if Cushing is standing on the sideline in a hoodie, this is going to be another long year.
All reports about their recoveries have been positive, but that’s always the case with players battling back from injury. The news doesn’t get bad until they start missing meaningful games.