Texans Cancer Survivor Quessenberry Makes NFL Debut On Christmas

HOUSTON, TX — A Christmas miracle played out at NRG Stadium on Christmas night when Houston Texans offensive lineman David Quessenberry made his NFL debut. Aside from DeAndre Hopkins' catch of the year, Quessenberry's appearance on the roster and as a captain for the Texans stole the show in Houston. Because that 34-6 loss to the Steelers was nothing to be proud of.

Quessenberry was picked by the Texans in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft and sat out that season with a foot injury. The next year the offensive tackle was diagnosed with cancer (non-Hodgkin T-lymphoblastic lymphoma). He'd been on the team's non-football illness list since 2015. Though he played this preseason, the team cut him before the regular season but re-signed him to the practice squad, before he was promoted on Wednesday.

Not only was it a dream finally come true to see his name on the roster, he'd learned he was to be one of the team captains. So prior to the game, he participated in the coin toss at midfield. And to top it off, he saw playing time.

"It was everything I dreamed of while I was going through my treatments," Quessenberry said. "Getting out there and playing a full-speed game today was exactly how I'd hoped it went.

"[I had] butterflies when they called my personnel. Running out there and then getting down in my stance, and once I started hearing the quarterback's cadence, instincts take over and you just go and make your blocks."

Quessenberry had no scholarship offers out of high school. He met an assistant coach from San Jose State University who was scouting one of his high school teammates, and Quessenberry decided to walk on at SJSU. He earned an athletic scholarship the summer before sophomore season in 2010 and, by the end of his junior season in 2011, he was a second-team all-American.

He became the first San Jose State offensive lineman to play in a Senior Bowl and he was a first-team all-WAC selection his senior year. After graduating with a degree in history, he got drafted by the Texans.

"That guy was in tough shape not too long ago," coach Bill O'Brien said. "For him to come back and play in an NFL game is an incredible thing."

While going through treatments, Quessenberry said the entire Texans organization was fully supportive of him and his battle. Hopkins chimed in after the game as well.

"Everybody in this locker room feeds off his energy," Hopkins said. "What he went through to come out and still be able to come and be part of this team every day like nothing happened to him, everybody feeds off of his energy, honestly. I don't know if he knows it, but everybody in this locker room looks up to him."

Image: Houston Texans offensive guard David Quessenberry (77), a cancer survivor, listens during the National Anthem before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday, Dec. 25, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)