Getty Images

Linebacker Brian Cushing played 14 games last season in a return to the Texans lineup after injuries limited him to a total of 12 games over the previous two seasons, but Cushing’s presence in the lineup wasn’t complete.

He said that he still felt limited physically after coming back from torn knee ligaments and a broken leg while also revealing that being injured for so long “really takes a toll mentally,” but that things feel different this year. He said he’s either 100 percent or close to it, something he admitted stretching the truth about in the past, and that the old Cushing is returning to the surface.

“It just feels really good to be getting my range back,” Cushing said. “I felt very limited last year, and just kind of my health, coverage, and a lot of things I couldn’t do really on the field. Really feeling like myself again and kind of feeling like I can play anywhere on the field and make a play anywhere on the field. I’m getting, like I said, that range back and feeling very explosive and very happy about that.”

Coach Bill O’Brien added that Cushing has had a “hell of an offseason” in a comment that should make Texans fans feel good about the potential of the team’s defense. With J.J. Watt, Vince Wilfork, a healthy Jadeveon Clowney and Cushing, the front seven can be a major strength in Houston in 2015.