Feel good story of the day: Titans OL David Quessenberry, who battled cancer for 3 years, catches TD

    Shalise Manza Young
    Yahoo Sports Contributor

    All NFL players face an uphill battle to make it to the league.

    Some face far greater odds than others.

    Titans’ David Quessenberry catches TD

    On the first play of the second quarter of the Tennessee Titans’ matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, the Titans were facing second-and-goal from inside the one.

    They had seven men down on the line of scrimmage, with offensive lineman David Quessenberry reporting as eligible; tight end Delanie Walker was on the opposite end of the line.

    Quessenberry ran into the end zone and after faking a handoff, Marcus Mariota passed to the 6-foot-5 target, who was open for the early tying touchdown.

    “Thankfully I was open, Marcus threw a nice ball, and I just happened to come down with it. I don’t think I’m the first read on that play,” Quessenberry joked.

    Aside from the usual fondness many of us have for a big-man touchdown, Quessenberry scoring holds particular significance.

    Quessenberry fought long cancer battle

    In June 2014, when Quessenberry was just 23 years old and a member of the Houston Texans, he announced that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin T-lymphoblastic lymphoma after complaining of shortness of breath and a consistent cough during minicamp.

    Doctors discovered a mass in his lungs, and enough fluid had built up – he had two liters of blood removed – that it could have been fatal if there was a delay in treatment.

    Tennessee Titans tackle David Quessenberry celebrates his second-quarter touchdown catch. (Getty Images)

    The Texans stood by him as he fought the disease, keeping him around the team as a pseudo coach when he was able. In April 2017, Quessenberry was finally declared cancer-free and completed his chemo treatments at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas.

    When Quessenberry took part in the tradition of ringing a bell to announce he was cancer-free, he rang it right off the wall. As he noted, he fought for over 1,000 days.

    By the beginning of the 2017 season, Quessenberry had regained enough strength and body mass to earn a spot on Houston’s practice squad. In December 2017, he was elevated to the 53-man roster for the final two games of the regular season.

    He spent last year on the Tennessee practice squad, but has been on the active roster for both games thus far this season. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was with the Texans during Quessenberry’s cancer battle.

    More from Yahoo Sports: