The Texans are expected to waive fourth-year offensive tackle David Quessenberry, head coach Bill O'Brien said Monday.
"We believed that David Quessenberry wasn't going to be ready, from a health standpoint, to adequately compete this year," O'Brien said. "So procedurally, in order to gain the roster spot, we made the decision to place him on waivers with the designation of NFI, non-football illness."
The move comes during the second week of OTA practices, two years after Quessenberry was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Quessenberry had been working his way back to the practice field, but had not been cleared to practice since that June 2014 diagnosis.
"He's an inspiration," O'Brien said. "I think it was this morning, he told me it was two years ago today that we sent him in off the practice field. (Head Athletic Trainer) Kap (Geoff Kaplan) sent him right over to the medical center and they discovered that he had cancer."
Quessenberry was found to have two liters of fluid in his lungs, which were drained immediately, as well as a lymphoma mass. He then began undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. Quessenberry has a few more treatments left this year, according to O'Brien, but the team remains optimistic about his return to football.
"We want him to fully attack and beat cancer, which he will do, and then get him back on the 90-man roster at some point in 2017," O'Brien said.
The career of OL David Quessenberry is chronicled here in photos.
