Cunningham's Titans Debut Will Wait

Coaches won't rush the veteran linebacker, claimed off waivers from the Houston Texans on Thursday, into the lineup.

NASHVILLE – Several players have taken the field for the Tennessee Titans days after they joined the team.

Zach Cunningham won’t be one of them. Coach Mike Vrabel said Friday that the veteran inside linebacker would not be available for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Titans claimed Cunningham off waivers from the Houston Texans a day earlier. Cunningham did not take part in Friday’s practice.

“We are excited to add him to our football team,” Vrabel said. “We will talk more about (Cunningham) next week. He won’t be active for the football game.”

The Titans (8-4) and Jaguars (2-10) will conclude their season series at Nissan Stadium. Tennessee won the first meeting 37-19. Tennessee will be without inside linebackers David Long, who was ruled out on Friday, and Monty Rice, who was placed on injured reserve last week.

A second-round pick by the Texans in 2017, Cunningham missed just two games in his first four NFL seasons. He already has missed three this season, including two recent ones when he was benched for disciplinary issues.

The 27-year-old led the NFL with 164 tackles in 2020 and was second among the Texans this season with 67 stops.

“If you don’t meet our standards, and if you are not consistently meeting our standards, you are not going to be part of this team,” Texans coach David Culley said after Cunningham’s release. “… It has nothing to do with production, it has something to do strictly with not meeting our standards that we have here. He didn’t meet those.”

The Titans will give him a fresh start, as they have given many players an opportunity this season.

They have used 49 different starters in their first 12 games, including guys like running back Adrian Peterson and cornerback Greg Mabin, who had precious little practice time – and had not appeared in any game this season – before their opportunity. Many others immediately have been called upon as role players under similar circumstances, including cornerback Buster Skrine, tackle Bobby Hart, linebacker Sharif Finch and running backs D’Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard.

Cunningham presumably has some familiarity with aspects of Tennessee’s defense given that his rookie season was the one in which Vrabel was Houston’s defensive coordinator. Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen also was a member of that staff.

Cunningham’s addition gives the Titans 52 players on the active roster. Wide receiver Golden Tate, who was signed to the practice squad prior to the game at New England, is a candidate to be signed to the active roster. Additionally, three players on injured reserve, including wide receiver Julio Jones, were designated for return to practice this week and potentially could be returned to the active roster as well.

“We have some time until (Saturday) to make some decisions,” Vrabel said. “But those [injured reserve] guys all worked hard to get back there and be able to start to practice and were able to put some days together.”