Texans’ Quessenberry makes ‘emotional’ NFL debut after three year cancer battle

Monday’s Christmas Day matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers marked a truly special moment for Houston Texans offensive lineman David Quessenberry, who made his NFL debut after spending much of the last three years battling cancer.

Drafted by the Texans in 2013, Quessenberry was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins T Lymphoblastic Lymphoma in June of 2014, putting his football career on hold. The San Jose State product lost 70 pounds due to chemotherapy treatment for the cancer, all of which he had to gain back to return to the field for Houston.

Promoted from the practice squad last week, Quessenberry was honored as one of Houston’s team captains before the game, and soon after made his long-awaited debut on the Texans’ offensive line.

“I had butterflies when they called my personnel running out there and getting down in my stance,” Quessenberry told the Houston Chronicle. “Once I started hearing the quarterback’s cadence, instincts take over and you go make your blocks.”

While the Steelers ultimately defeated the Texans 34-6, Houston falling to 4-11 on the season, Quessenberry said it was a day he would never forget.

“It was everything I dreamed of while I was going through my treatments,” he told the Chronicle. “Playing a full-speed game was exactly how I’d hoped it went. I would say it was very emotional for me and the people around me and for my family watching. It was just something special.”