1. Zachary Daniel Cunningham was born on December 2,1994 and is an American professional football linebacker.
25 Facts About Zach Cunningham
1. 2.
Zach Cunningham played college football for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.
3.
Zach Cunningham played for the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, and Denver Broncos.
4.
Zach Cunningham committed to Vanderbilt University to play college football.
5.
Zach Cunningham finished the year with 103 tackles and 4.5 sacks and was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference.
6.
In 2016, Zach Cunningham became the first unanimous All-American in school history and was the seventh to earn the All-American honors overall.
7.
Zach Cunningham was a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.
8.
Zach Cunningham had an SEC-best 119 total tackles, which ranked 11th overall nationally.
9.
Zach Cunningham registered 16.5 tackles for loss, finishing second in the SEC and 22nd nationally, along with four fumble recoveries, which tied for second nationally, just one behind the leader.
10.
Zach Cunningham played his best games against SEC opponents, as he posted 89 total tackles, 51 solo tackles and 12 tackles for loss against SEC foes.
11.
Zach Cunningham had some of the best individual plays in those games, including a big fourth down tackle to end Georgia's game ending drive in the Commodores' win in Athens.
12.
Zach Cunningham made another huge, nationally-recognized play in the fourth quarter of Vanderbilt's game against Auburn, when he perfectly timed a leap over Auburn's left guard as the ball was snapped on a field goal attempt, allowing him to arrive in the backfield at the same time as the ball, which Zach Cunningham then blocked the field goal to preserve Vanderbilt's chances to win with less than 2:00 minutes remaining in the contest.
13.
Zach Cunningham received an invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all of the combine and positional drills.
14.
Zach Cunningham participated in Vanderbilt's Pro Day and opted to only run positional drills for representatives and scouts in attendance.
15.
Zach Cunningham attended private workouts with three NFL teams: the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
16.
Zach Cunningham was ranked the third best linebacker prospect in the draft by Sports Illustrated, the third best outside linebacker by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, the fourth best outside linebacker by NFLDraftScout.
17.
Zach Cunningham competed with Dylan Cole and Sio Moore for the starting left inside linebacker job with original starter Brian Cushing suspended for the first ten games of the season.
18.
Zach Cunningham finished his rookie season in 2017 with 90 combined tackles, six pass deflections, and 1.5 sacks in 16 games and 13 starts.
19.
Zach Cunningham entered training camp slated as a starting inside linebacker after Brian Cushing officially announced his retirement.
20.
Zach Cunningham finished the 2018 season with 107 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, five pass breakups, and one interception.
21.
Zach Cunningham started all 16 games and recorded 142 total tackles, two fumble recoveries, and two sacks.
22.
Zach Cunningham played in eight games and missed two games for the Houston Texans in 2021.
23.
Zach Cunningham recorded 67 total tackles, one forced fumble and three pass deflections.
24.
On November 12,2022, Zach Cunningham was placed on injured reserve.
25.
On September 25,2024, Zach Cunningham was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad.