Payton Reacts to Lions Poaching LB Kwon Alexander Off Practice Squad

The Detroit Lions pilfered the Denver Broncos' practice squad last week, but Sean Payton was okay with it.

Oct 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) celebrates his interception with cornerback Riley Moss (21) and linebacker Kwon Alexander (12) and safety Devon Key (26) in the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos raised some eyebrows last week when they allowed veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander to get poached off the practice squad by the Detroit Lions. Denver then signed linebacker Zach Cunningham to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.

Both Alexander and Cunningham had maxed out the number of gameday elevations allowed by NFL rule, and when faced with the demands of needing to add a linebacker to the active roster, the decison swung Cunningham's way — even though Alexander is a Payton guy dating back to New Orleans.

“He had used his three call-ups," Payton said of Cunningham. "So his experience, he’s a good tackler. He can run. Definitely, we spent a lot of time on him in the offseason.”

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The Broncos had scouted Cunningham during the offseason when the New League Year opened, but ultimately, the team signed veteran Cody Barton. With Alex Singleton coming off his fourth straight 100-plus tackle season, the Broncos liked their new starting inside linebacker duo, but still re-signed Justin Strnad for depth.

That second move ended up being prescient as Singleton suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 3. Just a few days later, the Broncos acted on their offseason pro personnel due diligence, signing Alexander and Cunningham.

With the transactions that occured, the Broncos now have a spot open on the practice squad. Payton says the team will fill it with the "best player available," sharing his happiness for Alexander to join a championship-caliber team like the Lions.

"I’m happy for Kwon," Payton said. "I had a good visit with him. We’ve been together before, and it’s a good opportunity for him, but we knew this was coming with Zach.”

By "knew this was coming," was Payton referring to the fact that Cunningham ran out of practice-squad elevations last week? Or was the plan always to promote Cunningham to the 53-man roster over Alexander? That's unclear.

Cunningham is an eighth-year player and a former second-round draft pick. For his career, he's totaled 665 tackles (419 solo), 6.5 sacks, one interception, 23 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, and three fumbles recovered.

The Broncos received a further boost to the linebacker corps last week by officially activated Drew Sanders off of the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. The Broncos drafted him in the third round last year with an initial vision of playing him inside, but all signs pointed to him moving to the outside this past offseason before he suffered his Achilles injury.

Odds are, the Broncos will work Sanders into the rush linebacker rotation. But the nice thing about his versatility is that he can play inside/out.

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