Zach Cunningham Talks Strengths & 'Strange' Journey

The first thing noticeable about Zach Cunningham is his height.

There haven’t been many linebackers that have played for the Philadelphia Eagles who have stood 6-3, the way Cunningham does. You’d probably have to go back to 2010 to the last time one had that height, and that was Stewart Bradley, who was 6-4.

Eagles linebackers are typically tightly packaged around 6-1, though Nakobe Dean is the same 5-11 Mychal Kendricks was when he played in Philly.

“Being able to make plays that normally someone wouldn’t be able to make, having that length,” said Cunningham on Wednesday when asked about his size following his second practice since joining the Eagles on Sunday.

Cunningham has been getting consistent second-team reps since his arrival, and on Wednesday he flashed that length with a pass breakup on a throw from Marcus Mariota to Grant Calcaterra down the seam.

He has made a lot of plays since being drafted 57th overall out of Vanderbilt by the Houston Texans in 2017. In 2020, he made 164 tackles, 106 of which were solo, with seven tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits.

Last year, however, an elbow injury limited him to six games in his second season with the Tennessee Titans.

“Going through the injury, that’s something I never had to go through, having to miss significant time for an injury so that’s definitely given me a different perspective on the game,” he said. “It was something that changed something for me.”

Like Myles Jack, who signed a one-year deal on the same day (Sunday) that Jack did, Cunningham stayed as ready as he could while hoping the phone would ring with a team offering him a job. That team turned out to be the Eagles, who had a real depth problem at the position that became more noticeable with each passing day of training camp.

“It was a little strange, but I stayed on my game, working out, waiting on the call, waiting to get back into it,” he said.

Cunningham and Jack are familiar with one another since they spent time on opposite sidelines when Jack played with the Jaguars and Cunningham with the Texans, and their respective teams met twice a year for more than five years in the AFC South.

Cunningham also knows Eagles receiver A.J. Brown a bit from their overlap with the Titans.

“I’ve been knowing Zach a while even though I haven’t played with him for a while," said Brown. “Playing against him, he was always a force in Houston. When he came to the Titans, we kind of created a little bond. I’m glad he’s here. He’s going to be a huge impact for us. I’m glad. It’s a great pickup.”

The Eagles’ deal with Cunningham deal came together quickly, about three days, the linebacker said.

He isn’t exactly sure which spot he will play on the defense but is working at both in the middle and off the ball.

“It’s definitely a great opportunity,” he said, “and I’m looking to take advantage of it.”

Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.