The Titans released Cunningham (elbow) on Wednesday with a failed physical designation, Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com reports.
Cunningham was placed on injured reserve twice during the 2022 season and made only six appearances, totaling a career-low 24 tackles across 193 defensive snaps. It's unclear if the elbow injury that sidelined him at the end of the campaign will be an issue heading into the offseason, but he'll have to prove he's healthy before he can sign with a new team. Cunningham joins Robert Woods, Taylor Lewan (knee) and Randy Bullock as cap causalities for the Titans, who began the offseason $25 million over the salary cap.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Shifts to injured reserve
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The Titans placed Cunningham (elbow) on injured reserve Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.
Cunningham's second stint on injured reserve this season is likely to sideline him until 2023, considering the Titans would have to make a deep playoff run for the linebacker to be eligible for activation. Tarell Basham, Monty Rice, Andrew Adams and Rashad Weaver are currently in line to serve as the team's starting linebackers given the numerous injuries to the position.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Ruled out for Thursday
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Cunningham (elbow) will be out Thursday against the Cowboys, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Cunningham exited Saturday's game against the Texans with the injury, which was his return after a stint on IR. The new issue is likely due to the same elbow injury that forced his six-week absence. The news is certainly a blow to the Titans' defense, and especially their linebacker corps, which is currently decimated by injuries.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Exits versus Houston
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Cunningham is questionable to return to Saturday's game against the Texans with an elbow injury, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Cunningham logged one tackle before exiting at some point in the first half. The 28-year-old missed the last six games while on IR with an elbow injury before being restored to the active roster Friday, so it's likely this departure is related to the previous issue. With fellow inside linebacker Dylan Cole (ankle) already inactive Saturday, expect Andrew Adams and Jack Gibbens to step into bigger roles alongside Monty Rice.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Activated from injured reserve
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The Titans activated Cunningham (elbow) from injured reserve Friday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.
Cunningham missed five consecutive games while on injured reserve with an elbow injury and remained sidelined for a sixth straight contest Week 15 despite being designated to return. However, it appears he'll make his return to action Week 16 after being added to the active roster Friday. Across five appearances, the veteran linebacker has totaled 24 tackles and one pass defense.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Out Week 10
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Cunningham (elbow) was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Broncos, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Cunningham was sidelined from Weeks 4 to 7 due to an elbow injury before playing in each of Tennessee's past two games. However, the inside linebacker popped back up with an elbow issue on Wednesday's injury report and failed to practice Week 10. Cunningham will now look to work his way back before the Titans' next contest against Green Bay on Thursday Night Football. In his absence, expect Dylan Cole to step into a larger role alongside David Long this Sunday against Denver.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Doesn't participate in walk-through
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Cunningham (elbow) was listed as a non-participant during Wednesday's walk-through, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Cunningham was sidelined for a month due to an elbow issue but has played in back-to-back games. It's unclear if his current injury is related to his previous elbow issue, but it's concerning to see the linebacker back on the injury report. Cunningham will have two more opportunities to practice before the Titans need to make a decision on his status for Sunday's matchup against Denver.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Full participant Wednesday
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Cunningham (elbow) was a full participant during Wednesday's practice, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Cunningham picked up an elbow injury during Week 3 and has remained sidelined since. However, it appears the veteran linebacker is on track to make his return Sunday against the Texans. Before his injury, he recorded 16 tackles across 116 defensive snaps and figures to have a sizable role if available in Week 8.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Ruled out against Indy
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Cunningham (elbow) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Colts, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.
Cunningham picked up the elbow injury in the Week 3 win over Las Vegas and will miss at least one game as a result. The starting linebacker's next opportunity to play will come in Week 5 against Washington, while his absence Sunday could make it tougher for the Titans to slow down Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Questionable for Week 3
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Cunningham (knee) did not practice Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's matchup against the Raiders.
Cunningham logged a limited practice Thursday only to not take the field Friday, which isn't a promising sign for his availability. His absence would be a big blow to the middle of Tennessee's defense, as he's logged 12 tackles and one pass defended across the first two games of the season.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Stacks up six stops
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Cunningham had six tackles (four solo) during Sunday's 34-3 win over the Dolphins.
Cunningham has accumulated 16 tackles in his last three appearances, while playing at least 60 percent of defensive snaps in each contest. He will get a chance to face his former team to close out the regular season, with a Week 18 road matchup in Houston on deck.
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Titans' Zach Cunningham: Scooped by Titans
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The Titans claimed Cunningham off waivers from the Texans on Thursday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
Though he signed a four-year, $58 million extension just over 15 months ago and was coming off a season in which he tallied a career-high 164 tackles to go with three sacks, Cunningham fell out of favor with Houston's new regime in 2021. He was benched for the first quarter of the Texans' Week 2 loss in Cleveland due to tardiness issues, and Houston made him a healthy inactive for disciplinary reasons in the team's 31-0 loss to the Colts in Week 13. Recent reports have indicated that Cunningham's most recent infraction was a missed COVID-19 test, and the Texans' decision to waive him Wednesday suggested the relationship between player and team was beyond repair. Though the Titans will have to absorb the remaining money on his deal, Cunningham should give his new team a major lift at inside linebacker, where Tennessee has struggled with injuries this season.
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Texans' Zach Cunningham: Time in Houston over
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The Texans will waive Cunningham on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Cunningham was held out of the team's Week 13 loss to the Colts for disciplinary reasons, although the exact details behind the Texans' decision to make him inactive aren't completely clear. The 27-year-old linebacker played 100 percent of the Texans' defensive snaps over the last three weeks and recorded at least eight tackles in each game. Cunningham signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension in August 2020, a prohibitive deal that could make any team reluctant to claim him off waivers. Assuming he clears waivers, however, Cunningham should command plenty of interest around the league when he'll be eligible to sign a more team-friendly deal.
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Texans' Zach Cunningham: Tackling machine on TNF
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Cunningham racked up a game-high 14 tackles (six solo) in Thursday's 24-9 loss to the Panthers.
Cunningham was extremely busy for a Texans defense that spent the majority of the game on the field due to Houston's conservative and ineffective game plan on offense in rookie quarterback Davis Mills' NFL debut. After totaling 142 tackles in 2019 and 164 in 2020, Cunningham has racked up 27 through three weeks this season.
Cunningham made 10 tackles in Sunday's 28-21 loss to the Steelers.
Cunningham missed a handful of snaps in Week 3 due to a leg injury, but he's apparently fine and should be an every-snap player in Week 4 against the Vikings barring a setback. The fourth-year linebacker now has 32 stops and a sack through three games, and he's once again poised to easily surpass the 100-tackle threshold this season.
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Texans' Zach Cunningham: Tackle leader
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Cunningham recorded a team-high eight tackles in Thursday's 34-20 loss to the Chiefs.
Cunningham, who led the Texans in tackles in 2019, picked up where he left off in the 2020 season opener. The downside to his evening was being assessed two penalties that gave the Chiefs 20 yards on a drive at end of the first half. Those infractions led to a Kansas City field goal and extended the Chiefs' lead to 17-7 heading into the break.
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Texans' Zach Cunningham: Breaks up pass in win
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Cunningham recorded six solo tackles and broke up a pass in Saturday's 23-20 win over Tampa Bay.
The effort might be considered a disappointment for Cunningham after he had logged four double-digit tackle games in his last five entering the week. He'll have a chance to bounce back Week 17 against the Titans.
Cunningham notched eight tackles (all solo) and a fumble recovery in Sunday's 26-3 win over the Jaguars.
Cunningham is now averaging just over 7.5 tackles per game through the Texans' first nine contests this season. A tough road matchup in Baltimore awaits following Houston's Week 10 bye.
Cunningham recorded 12 tackles (seven solo) and a forced fumble in Sunday's loss to the Eagles.
Cunningham posted double-digit tackles for the fifth time this season. On the year, he has 101 tackles (68 solo) in 13 games. He'll look to finish the regular season strong when the Texans take on the Jaguars in Week 17.
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Texans' Zach Cunningham: Totals 10 tackles
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Cunningham recorded 10 tackles (seven solo) during Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Colts.
It's been a bit of a slow go since Cunningham returned from an MCL sprain, but he seemed to be back to his old self Sunday. He finished second on the Texans in stops and recorded his fourth double-digit tackle performance of the season. He'll look to build on this strong showing Saturday against the Jets.
