Brian Cushing Madden Career 2010-2018 - Peak 93 OVR

Brian Cushing hit the NFL like a hailstorm. The Texans took the USC linebacker 15th overall in 2009, and he immediately posted 133 tackles, four interceptions, four sacks and 10 pass deflections to run away with Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Then came the complication. In May 2010 he drew a four-game suspension for elevated hCG levels, the award was put to a re-vote, and though the writers let him keep it, his second-team All-Pro nod was rescinded.

Injuries then took their toll, a torn ACL in 2012, a broken fibula in 2013, an MCL tear in 2016, each interrupting a career that never quite recaptured that rookie ferocity. He still became the Texans' all-time leading tackler across nine seasons before a second PED suspension in 2017 preceded his release. Madden loved the early version most: he opened at 78 as a 2009 rookie, jumped to 87, and hit a career-high 93 in the 2012 edition before the ratings slid with his health into the high 70s.