The Houston Texans have spent the past week nursing themselves into a healthy state, and they welcomed two key pieces back to the field Saturday.
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Wide receiver Andre Johnson and linebacker Brian Cushing made their preseason debuts against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night, as Nick Scurfield of the team's official website first reported before the game.
Cushing missed last Saturday's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers after sitting out four practices and spending two nights in the hospital with a virus. Johnson was bothered by a groin injury early in training camp and didn't dress against the Panthers. But after practicing all week, he was ready to roll.
Scurfield also reported that defensive end Tim Jamison would start in place of J.J. Watt (elbow), and nose tackle Earl Mitchell would replace Shaun Cody, who suffered a back injury against the Panthers.
Back to Johnson: He hadn't caught a pass from Texans starting quarterback Matt Schaub in a game since mid-November. But the two didn't appear to miss a beat, as Schaub found Johnson on two passes for 49 yards in Saturday night's game.
