Low-key, aggressively focused
Cunningham, due for a big payday, emerges as one of top inside linebackers
Zach Cunningham treats contract negotiations with a purist approach akin to how he aggressively treats blockers obstructing his path to the football.
The Texans’ inside linebacker avoids getting bogged down in extraneous business that stretches beyond his expertise. Instead, he devotes his energy and concentration toward making his next tackle.
A former second-round draft pick from Vanderbilt, Cunningham has emerged as one of the game’s top inside linebackers. Eligible for a rich contract extension under the NFL collective bargaining agreement as he enters the final year of a four-year, $4.47 million rookie contract, Cunningham could ultimately cash in with the Texans or somewhere else as a free agent.
No deal is imminent for Cunningham, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
“My approach, right now, is just letting my agent handle all the talks and stuff and the dealings behind the scenes,” Cunningham said. “I’m really just more focused on the season, trying to play the season out, doing my best I can for the season.”
The Texans would ideally like to find a way to keep Cunningham, but have to do so within their budget while saving a large chunk of their $22.4 million in salary-cap space toward a new contract for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Contracts for inside linebackers have exploded in recent years, including $18 million per year for the Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner, $17 million per year for the Jets’ C.J. Mosley, $14.25 million per year for the Jaguars’ Myles Jack, $14.25 million per year for the Falcons’ Deion Jones and $13.54 million per year for the Panthers’ Shaq Thompson.
Retaining Cunningham won’t be an inexpensive undertaking regardless of whether the Texans value him at an elite Wagner level or the less expensive neighborhood of Jack and Jones.
The Texans already have inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney playing under a $51 million contract. Nonetheless, the Texans want to make the numbers work to keep Cunningham.
“We want Zach on our team,” Texans coach and general manager Bill O’Brien said. “We want Zach to be a Texan for a long time, no doubt about it. He’s just a really good player. He’s very instinctive. He’s got good speed.
“He can do a lot of different things within our scheme. He plays on special teams. He’s on the punt team. Really good guy, same guy every day. We think that it would be great if he was with us for a long time.”
O’Brien isn’t exaggerating about Cunningham’s skills and athleticism. Tall and mobile at 6foot-3 and 235 pounds, Cunningham is as fast as some running backs.
“Zach is one of the best football players and linebackers I’ve ever coached or been around,” said Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who coached and recruited Cunningham at Vanderbilt. “Zach is off-the-charts. The guy is special. He’s also a great person. He was a joy to coach. He made us look very smart every week. What he’s accomplished in the NFL isn’t surprising to watch. Zach is just that good, and he keeps getting better.”
Cunningham led the AFC last season with 142 tackles along with 10 tackles for losses.
With a hard-hitting style and crisp pursuit angles, Cunningham is a fixture on the Texans’ defense. Cunningham played 87.47 percent (942 total) of the defensive snaps last season.
“I think he’s only gotten better, more instinctive, more explosive,” said Titans coach Mike Vrabel, a former Texans defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. “He can run through you. He can run around you. You see him rarely miss tackles.”
Cunningham led all NFL players in run stop rate, according to Pro Football Focus. One of the few areas Cunningham doesn’t excel at is pass coverage despite his speed and agility.
Because of his angles and speed, though, Cunningham is often able to make up for a mistake or false step and make up lost ground rapidly. He makes a lot of splashy plays.
“He’s very athletic, very instinctive, a really good tackler,” O’Brien said. “He’s made a couple of plays on screen passes where he’s fended off the blocker and been able to push the ball carrier back inside where to where his help is coming from.
“He can play zone coverage. He can play man coverage. He’s a good blitzer. We can use him in a lot of different areas, not just at inside ‘backer. He can do a lot of different things for us. He’s a really, really good football player.”
Although Cunningham is arguably unheralded as far as recognition, he’s known in the industry as an ascending player.
Cunningham isn’t satisfied, though. He wants to keep getting better.
“It means a lot to me just knowing my name is being mentioned, just knowing that I’ve made an impact on the game since my time arriving here,” Cunningham said. “One thing with me, I always try to improve my game day by day and game by game. That’s carried with me year to year, and I’ve seen that increasing in my level of play as the years have gone on.
“I definitely think, like a lot of people, when I go back and watch film there’s a lot of plays that I left out there that I could’ve made. I definitely feel like there’s more plays I could’ve made in pass coverage and also in the running game. That’s the things I’m working on improving for this season.”
In three NFL seasons, Cunningham has recorded 339 tackles, 15 for losses, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one interception returned for a touchdown.
“Hopefully, Zach is here for a long time,” said Bobby King, the Texans’ inside linebackers coach. “He’s been good for a while now. The world is just kind of catching up to that. We hope Zach is here for a long time.
“He does a lot of things very well. He can play the run. He has incredible instincts. He’s good in coverage, and he’s a tough guy, which people miss out on a lot.”
A native of Pinson, Ala., who enjoys singing and playing the guitar, Cunningham maintains a laidback personality and doesn’t let business stress him out.
Cunningham doesn’t seek the spotlight. He’s plainspoken and somewhat reticent in interviews. He regularly declines opportunities to promote himself, including chances to show off his musical skills.
Cunningham maintains his focus on doing his job, not talking about himself or his pending financial windfall.
“Being the person that I am, it’s pretty easy for me,” Cunningham said. “I’m pretty low-key anyway. I keep a lot of stuff out of my head and just focus on what I have right in front of me.”