Texans outside linebacker Brian Cushing was voted the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year on Tuesday.
Cushing, the No. 15 overall selection in last year's draft, was a landslide winner over Buffalo safety Jarius Byrd. Cushing received 39 votes to Byrd's six.
Green Bay outside linebacker Clay Matthews, a college teammate of Cushing's at Southern California, received three votes and Washington outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, a product of the University of Texas and Lamar High School, received two votes.
Cushing joins middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans as the second Texans player to win the award in voting by a nationwide panel of 50 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL.
Ryans won the award in 2006.
Cushing, who was named to the Pro Bowl, led the AFC with 134 tackles and also had five sacks and four interceptions to help lead the Texans to the first winning season in franchise history.
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