Yeah, the wrist - and essentially any other injury above the waist - doesn't concern me. He regression is tied directly to his loss of speed, sideline to sideline. At this point, if he doesn't regain any of it, he's essentially the second ILB - which, they'll need but isn't terribly vital. The team's single greatest priority, behind QB, is increasing overall team speed, IMO. They have almost none. They need an ILB who runs like a WR; they need safeties who run like a WR and... they need WRs who run like WRs.....
It takes more than 1 year to fully recover from that injury. Plus, he had to adapt to a new scheme. That also takes a year. If he can stay healthy he'll be better next year. Definitely worth that contract though. I don't even really value ILB that highly. Deep position. I wouldn't overpay there for anyone.
Ankle and knee I'm starting to think MLB might be our biggest draft need. I go between that and DB/FS, because JoJo's days are likely numbered.
Jeez... OL, TE, ILB, DB, in no paticular order, would seem to be their greatest needs, and then within that group, you prioritize speed. I would also be OK if they found a super fast OLB. Of course, that's assuming they resign Mallett and/or a sing a Fitzpatrick upgrade.
Trying to look on the bright side, having secondary procedures after a major surgery is pretty common. From what I read, he had his knee scoped to clean up scar tissue and any other loose stuff in there. Minor surgery, everything went well, etc....
Yeah; what bothered/concerned me was the need to even address his availability for offseason workouts. I'd feel a lot better about Cushing if summer rolled around the guy was 100% healthy. Hasn't been the case in three years...
another year under romeo and to heal. I mean when D.J has to line you up on defense that's saying something. the guy next to cush needs to have more speed. Even when cushing was a holy phenom, shifty rbs like sproles and TEs would always burn him one on one in the passing game, just like arian foster burned Barwin arguably the best olb in the nfc. exploiting matchups.
I think the better question is "is it worth it to cut him". Technically, they could cut him this year. He'd count more against the cap if they did. It wouldn't be worth it, but they could do it. So the question next year is whether it's worth cutting Cushing to save $2M. This year is going to be real telling on what kind of player he can truly be after those ****ty injures.
Cutting him would cost an additional $5.7MM + the cost to replace him (and they already need to find the other ILB). So to answer your question, it makes zero sense to cut him, and there's no way the'll eat it this year. If he doesn't appreciably improve this year, he's almost certainly gone next year.
Why would you eat $5.7MM when you already need one ILB (and likely at least one OLB, too)? He is not going anywhere in 2015.
If the Texans do some bargain basement free agent shopping (which they may have to do) they may can eat his cap # this year and let other players at his position (rather the young players they already have and draft pick(s)) get that experience instead of Cushing just being out there fluttering around. What about J-Jo... Is he safe this year. Because he should be a cut candidate if he's not willing to take a pay cut.
I know, with far too many fans, that the grass is always greener and there's a deeply ingrained idea that change for the sake change is always better - but there is no logical reason for cutting Brian Cushing and eating $5.7MM. If he returns to pre-injury form, you've upgraded your defense significantly. If not, he's still a borderline starter-quality ILB that doesn't create *another* hole for you to fill. If you need or want to start youngsters, there's zero obligation to play Cushing. They proved that last year. They can't let both starting CBs walk in the same offseason. I would imagine JJo is here until the Kareem Jackson situation is settled.
Easy to make that statement when you're not the one paying him. And at this point... Cushing isn't green or greener grass... He's just grass with a high price tag. Don't you mean pre-injuries and doped up form... Big 'IF' just the same. It's not about the coaching staff not having a problem not playing him it's about if Uncle Bob has a problem paying a player who isn't worth that price tag and or not playing. But maybe he thinks Cushing will return to form just like he thought it was worth paying Carr to see if he would become a serviceable quarterback. I don't see why not. Both of those guys are only as good as the front 7 and the safety help (which is why the secondary fell off when Manning fell off) which makes both of them very replaceable and there is already a replacement on the roster for at least one of them.
Why is this thread still going? It should have ended 4 or 5 posts in and been locked. Cushing isn't going anywhere because of the dead money left on his contract. End of story.
While suspicions and such are certainly valid, this is not true. He was having a tremendous season in 2011 when the first injury happened - and a player diving at your knee illegally has nothing to do with PED usage. The second injury, which (IIRC) wasn't necessarily dirty, was nonetheless another shot to his knee in which PEDs would have had no tangible impact, good or bad.
You're incorrectly casting Cushing as having zero value; he's still good enough, at the very least, to start as the other ILB, which, while not vitally important, is still necessary. I guess this needs to be explained: he gets paid *regardless.* So the actual question is does Bob want to eat $5.7MM of cap space that could be used elsewhere, create at least one more hole on his roster, and let Cushing go somewhere else? You may literally be the only person on the planet who would answer that question, "yes." Nine years ago, dude- well-past time to move on...
