Here's what Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel is expecting to see from Zach Cunningham
Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel said the plan is for Zach Cunningham to begin practicing with the team Wednesday.
The Titans claimed the veteran inside linebacker off waivers last Thursday.
“We anticipate he’ll be ready to go, ready to practice Wednesday,” Vrabel said.
The NFL’s leading tackler in 2020, Cunningham is expected to provide a major boost to Tennessee’s defense and shore up depth at inside linebacker, where the team has battled injury issues. Starter David Long Jr. has missed four straight games and rookie third-round pick Monty Rice was placed on injured reserve No. 30. Rashaan Evans and Jayon Brown have missed five games apiece as well.
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Cunningham, 27, starred at Vanderbilt before being selected in the second round of the 2017 Draft (No. 57 overall) by the Houston Texans. In 72 games, the 6-foot-3, 238-pound Cunningham has 570 tackles (26 for loss), 12 quarterback hits, 6.5 sacks, a pick-six, 18 passes defended, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Vrabel was the Texans’ defensive coordinator when Cunningham was a rookie in 2017. Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was also a defensive assistant for Houston that season.
“Zach is a player who has really good length,” Vrabel said. “Very instinctive. He’s a very instinctive player. He triggers. He’s had a lot of tackles, been a very productive player in this league. Where all that fits as far as a role, I wouldn’t be able to tell you right now.
"He’s played on the punt team. He’s done a great job as a tackler on the punt team. Running down there in coverage as well, as well as when he started at inside linebacker. So that’s something that I know that (special teams coach Craig Aukerman) is excited about. And then we’ll kind of see how everything else fits in.”
The Texans had waived Cunningham after disciplinary issues with the franchise. He was suspended for the Texans’ Week 13 loss to the Colts after he was late to a scheduled COVID-19 test and he was benched for the first quarter of Week 2 vs. the Browns for recurring tardiness.
“All I can go by is what he does here,” Vrabel said. “We all have clear expectations for everybody. We all have rules. I don’t even know what the situation was in Houston. I’m focused on the Titans.”
Cunningham could play Sunday (noon CT, CBS) when the Titans (9-4) play at Pittsburgh (6-6-1).
The Titans have Cunningham under contract through 2024 by claiming his deal. While he’s owed just $275,000 in base salary for the remainder of this season, his $10 million base salary for 2022 will become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the new league year.
So if all goes well, Cunningham could be a key contributor for the Titans' defense for years to come.
Vrabel isn’t ready to go that far yet, though.
“I’m thinking about this week,” Vrabel said. “Just where is he at and how can he help our football team and figure out different ways to make sure that he knows what he’s doing and where we’re going to put him and what we’re asking him to do. That’s really my focus right now.”
Ben Arthur covers the Tennessee Titans for The USA TODAY Network. Contact him at barthur@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @benyarthur.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Tennessee Titans' Mike Vrabel is expecting from Zach Cunningham
