The NFL announced Wednesday Houston Texans linebacker Blake Cashman has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after the team’s 20-13 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 6.
The award is the first for the 27-year-old and the 52nd instance a Texans player has been named player of the week. The last Texans player to earn such honors was cornerback Tavierre Thomas after Week 16 in 2021.
Cashman delivered a career-high 15 tackles along with two pass breakups, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit against the Saints. Cashman joined Vincent Rey (Nov. 10, 2013 at Baltimore), Brian Urlacher (Oct. 16, 2006 at Arizona), and Angelo Crowell (Nov. 13, 2005 at Kansas City) as the only players to generate that exact stat line. Cashman is also the fifth linebacker to post at least 15 tackles and two tackles for loss in a game this season.
The former New York Jets 2019 fifth-round pick is having a noteworthy start to the season as Cashman has produced 31 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass breakups, and an interception through five games, four of which he has started.