A cancer survivor whose four-year battle with lymphoma before his NFL debut makes him one of the league's most inspiring stories.
David Quessenberry was a sixth-round pick out of San Jose State in 2013, but a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's T-lymphoblastic lymphoma delayed his NFL debut by four years. He fought through treatment and made it back onto an NFL field, going on to carve out a career as a versatile backup offensive lineman valued for his toughness on and off the field.
Path to the league
Quessenberry played offensive line at San Jose State, becoming the first Spartans offensive lineman to play in the Senior Bowl. The Houston Texans drafted him in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Diagnosed with lymphoma in June 2014, Quessenberry spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons on Houston's non-football illness list before his cancer went into remission and he finished treatment in 2017. He made his long-awaited NFL debut on Christmas Day 2017, and has since played for the Titans, Bills and Vikings, working his way up from the practice squad to a full-time starter in Tennessee by 2021.
2025 season recap
In his first season with the Rams in 2025, Quessenberry appeared in 13 games, playing mostly on special teams while also seeing limited offensive line snaps as a depth piece.
Sources
- Wikipedia: David Quessenberry
- Pro Football Reference: David Quessenberry
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Offensive Tackle
- Group
- offense
- College
- San José State
- Hometown
- Carlsbad, CA, USA
- Age
- 35
- Status
- active
