At this point, no one should be surprised.

With the postseason honors already collected by Houston Texans rookie Brian Cushing, there was hardly a blink of an eye today when he was selected Second Team All-Pro as an outside linebacker.

The honor puts Cushing, the Texans’ first-round pick (15th overall) in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of USC, among the top four outside linebackers in the NFL after just one season as a professional. He was the only rookie selected All-Pro for the 2009 season.

“I’m just beyond happy and honored to be named to an All-Pro team and have the respect of the voters,” Cushing said. “That is more powerful than any dollar can buy. You play to be good and respected and hopefully to be remembered after your playing days are over.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with how my first year was and the start of my NFL career.”

Cushing already was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was selected to represent the AFC at the Pro Bowl on Jan. 31. He was also named NFL Defensive Player of the Month for November.

In Rookie of the Year balloting, Cushing was a runaway winner. He received 39 votes, easily beating out Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd, who intercepted nine passes this season and earned six votes. Cushing became the second Texans linebacker in four seasons to win the award. His mentor, DeMeco Ryans, who will join him in the Pro Bowl, won the award in 2006.

Cushing also was named AFC Rookie of the Month for October and twice was named Defensive Rookie of the Week.

Cushing, who will turn 23 on Jan. 24, led the AFC in tackles this season with 134, 87 of them primary. He also had five sacks, four interceptions, forced two fumbles and recorded one safety. He played through cracked ribs with a flak jacket the last two games of the season and fought through ankle and knee pain most of the season.

The Texans went 9-7, the first winning record in franchise history, but missed the playoffs despite winning their final four games.

“Brian is a special player,” Ryans said. “I saw when he first stepped on the field that he could be a special player for us. Just to watch him grow week-in and week-out, I’m just so proud of him. He’s like my little brother out there. I’m always out there talking to him about how we can be great as a unit. I say it to him every week, ‘Let’s go out and be great and be the best linebackers in the league.’ ”

The accolades continue to roll in for Brian Cushing.

Already selected to represent the AFC at the Pro Bowl on Jan. 31, the Houston Texans tackling machine has been named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Cushing, a linebacker picked in the first round (15th overall) by the Texans in the 2009 draft, was a runaway winner in balloting by a nationwide group of 50 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Cushing received 39 votes, easily beating Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd, who intercepted nine passes this season and earned six votes. Cushing became the second Texans linebacker in four seasons to win the award. His mentor, DeMeco Ryans, who will join him in the Pro Bowl, won the award in 2006.

“I’m just a much smarter football player,” Cushing said. “I’m much more advanced than I was this time last year and it was just a good way to start out a career. I’m happy about how everything turned out this year. Of course the playoffs would have been nice, but now we know what we have to do for next season.”

Cushing was named AFC Rookie of the Month for October and twice was named Defensive Rookie of the Week.

Cushing, only 22, led the AFC in tackles this season with 133 tackles, 86 of them primary. The Texans went 9-7, the first winning record in franchise history. Cushing also had five sacks, four interceptions, forced two fumbles and recorded one safety. He played through cracked ribs with a flak jacket the last two games of the season and fought through ankle and knee pain most of the season.

“He brought another element to our football team: his love for the game, his passion, his play, playing beat up, all these things,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “He played like a 10-year vet from the day he stepped on the field. Our players respect what he does with the game and how he goes about his business. We’re very fortunate to have him and we’re going to have him here for a long, long time. What a year. He was exceptional.”

“Brian is a special player,” Ryans said. “I saw when he first stepped on the field that he could be a special player for us. Just to watch him grow week-in and week-out, I’m just so proud of him. He’s like my little brother out there. I’m always out there talking to him about how we can be great as a unit. I say it to him every week, ‘Let’s go out and be great and be the best linebackers in the league.’ ”

Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews, a teammate of Cushing’s at USC who was also a first-round pick, received three votes and Washington linebacker Brian Orakpo got the other two.

Cushing is the seventh straight linebacker voted top defensive rookie and the ninth in 10 years. Last year’s winner was New England’s Jerod Mayo.

Houston Texans rookie linebacker Brian Cushing has been selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team as a reserve linebacker.

Cushing will join teammates DeMeco Ryans, Andre Johnson and Mario Williams at the Jan. 31 event in Miami.

After 15 games, Cushing leads the AFC in tackles with 128 and also has four sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a safety.

“Rookie or not, I'm thrilled. It's one of those things you always look forward to growing up playing football, and when Coach (Gary Kubiak) called me today, I was beyond ecstatic,” Cushing said. “I couldn't believe that this actually happened.

“You never know, really, how everything's going to pan out. I've never played in the NFL before, it's my first year, things are new, I'm adapting to a new system. At the beginning, you're just trying to fit in, and I think once you get over that hump, then you realize this is something you're capable of doing, something that you want to do. You want to see what that next step is, and making the Pro Bowl my first year, like I said, I'm just beyond happy right now."

Cushing, a first-round draft pick (15th overall) out of USC, was named AFC Rookie of the Month for October and twice has been named Defensive Rookie of the Week.

In November, Cushing had 43 tackles, including 28 unassisted, two interceptions, one sack and three passes defended. He leads the AFC with 99 tackles and ranks fourth in the NFL.

Cushing was named AFC Rookie of the Week after Weeks 6 and 8. In Week 8, he led the Texans with 10 tackles, intercepted a pass and recorded the first full sack of his career in a 31-10 victory over Buffalo.

Houston Texans rookie linebacker Brian Cushing has been named AFC Defensive Rookie of the Month for November.

It is Cushing’s third AFC honor of the year after he was named Defensive Rookie of the Week twice.

In November, Cushing had 43 tackles, including 28 unassisted, two interceptions, one sack and three passes defended. He leads the AFC with 99 tackles and ranks fourth in the NFL.

“It’s special," Cushing said. "It's a really good honor, the whole month, it means I’m doing something right. Hopefully, I can keep it up, but it’s one of those things where you’re rejoicing it today and come back to work tomorrow.”

Through 11 games of his rookie season, Cushing has a team- and AFC-high 99 tackles (9.0 per game), 3 interceptions, 1.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a safety.

Cushing was named AFC Rookie of the Week after Weeks 6 and 8. In Week 8, he led the Texans with 10 tackles, intercepted a pass and recorded the first full sack of his career in a 31-10 victory over Buffalo.

Cushing, the team’s first-round draft pick (15th overall) this season, also was credited with a pass deflection. His 10 tackles were 22.2 percent of the team’s tackles on the day.

The Houston Texans announced today that rookie linebacker Brian Cushing will start the season opener on Sunday at home against the New York Jets.

Cushing, the team’s first-round pick (15th overall), has been out with a minor knee injury throughout the preseason but recently returned to practice.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak said the team would monitor the number of plays for Cushing and put a limit on him—perhaps 70, he said.

"He's doing great," Kubiak said. "He was moving around fast, adapting to what we're doing gameplan wise. He needs all the reps he can get. He'll be ready to go."

Cushing is excited to face fellow rookie Mark Sanchez, the Jets starting quarterback, one of his closest friends and a teammate at USC last year.

Houston Texans first-round draft pick Brian Cushing signed his first NFL contract on Saturday and practiced with his teammates on Sunday.

Cushing, the 15th pick overall in the 2009 NFL Draft out of USC, agreed to a five-year, $16 million contract. He will get $10.435 million in guaranteed money and the deal could be worth as much as $22 million. The fifth year has a clause that could earn him an additional $4 million in an escalator bonus. But odds are that Cushing’s contract will be extended before he enters the fifth season in 2013.

Cushing, at 6-3, 262 pounds, already has been named the starter at strong side linebacker.

“I’m just relieved and excited to have this done,” Cushing said. “I’m ready to play football and help the team win.”

His agent, Tom Condon, reached the agreement with Texans general manager Rick Smith and director of football administration Chris Olsen while Cushing was working out in LA, awaiting word.

“Brian’s two days behind now, but he didn’t miss anything we did in the off-season program, so that’s a good thing,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “He wanted to be here while we were working on the contract, but he couldn’t.”

Rookies who have signed with the Texans report a week early for conditioning and meetings before practicing for the first time with the veterans. Cushing wanted to report with the rookies.

He was working out at Reliant Stadium last week when the Texans had to explain league rules that forced him to leave.

Cushing returned to Houston on Saturday afternoon.

Houston’s coaches say Cushing can be a star.

“Brian can turn and run with the tight end,” defensive coordinator Frank Bush said. “He’s big and strong enough to strike them at the line of scrimmage and nullify some of their speed down the field, so we’re comfortable with him in coverage. His ability also gives us a chance to be aggressive toward the quarterback. He’s a big guy who’s shown he can get there.”