After Houston Texans linebacker Zach Cunningham was a healthy scratch on Sunday vs. the Indianapolis Colts due to disciplinary reasons, the organization has officially dropped the hammer on the defender. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Cunningham was waived by the Texans early Wednesday morning.
The #Texans are moving on from LB Zach Cunningham, source confirms. Though he made nearly $9M this year, his base for the entire season was $900K. So chance he gets claimed. https://t.co/abN8Mx0MtT
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2021
Cunningham had been a key player on Houston's defense in 2021, featuring in 10 games and recording 67 tackles, good for the second-most on the team trailing only Kamu Grugier-Hill. He was inactive in Week 13 as a result of the linebacker arriving late for a COVID-19 test. He's faced other disciplinary measurements from head coach David Culley and Co., who seem to officially have run out of patience for the linebacker.
The shocking decision to release Cunningham comes just one year after he signed a four-year, $58 million extension with the franchise. The Vanderbilt product was due to make $9 million in 2021, however, his base salary is just $900,000, which could result in various teams looking to bring the veteran on board, on what is great value considering the production Cunningham has shown in the past.
Cunningham, 27, was the Texans' second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and has been a mainstay in the defense since his arrival. Cunningham was the joint-leader in tackles in the NFL last season with 164. Prior to his dismissal on Wednesday, Cunningham had played in 72 games for the Texans, starting 66. He recorded five forced fumbles, 6.5 sacks, 570 tackles, and 26 tackles for loss across his career.
If Cunningham can avoid disciplinary issues he could prove a valuable addition for any contender looking to bolster their linebackers group. With the Texans sitting at 2-10 on the year, and a rebuild in full swing, Culley felt it was best to move on from Cunningham after multiple incidents this season.
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