Darryl Sharpton may factor into replacing Cushing

When Brian Cushing's suspension came to light, Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak said pretty strongly that Zac Diles has settled in so nicely on the weak side that flipping him to the strong side while Cushing misses four games wasn’t an alternative.

Things have changed according to what the coach said to Houston media Tuesday about rookie fourth-rounder Darryl Sharpton out of Miami.

From a transcript provided by the team:

On if he’s considering Darryl Sharpton as a starter: “Well there’s consideration for him being one of our top three. He’s in the mix right now. Would we flip him to Sam? Probably we would move Zac before we move him. He’s in consideration right now and we’re going to play our three best however we go to play him.”

On if Sharpton is in the running to become a starter this season: “There’s no doubt. He’s made statements since he’s been out here in camp. Obviously, the other night he did it again.”

So while Cushing’s out, instead of seeing Xavier Adibi, Kevin Bentley or Danny Clark in his place, we could see Diles flipped and Sharpton starting -- provided Sharpton keeps playing like he’s been playing.

Maybe from there we could even see him push Diles?

I’ll have an eye on Sharpton Wednesday and Thursday when I watch the Texans practice against the Saints in Louisiana.



(espn.com)