Linebacker Zach Cunningham landed on his feet and in a playoff race two days after being waived by the Houston Texans.
Cunningham joined the Titans, a familiar division foe, who officially claimed the 27-year-old linebacker off waivers.
Cunningham, who signed a four-year, $58 million extension in August 2020, was not living up to “the standard” set by first-year Texans head coach David Culley, the latter said Wednesday.
If Cunningham sticks around with the Titans, he’ll get a chance to face Culley and the Texans in the regular-season finale on Jan. 9.
The 2020 NFL tackles leader with 164 has been disciplined at least twice this season for violating team rules, including a suspension for last Sunday’s 31-0 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Multiple reports indicate Cunningham missed a COVID-19 test.
Culley also benched Cunningham for the first quarter in Week 2, reportedly due to tardiness.
“I’ve got a locker room full of players that understand what our standard is. We preach it all the time,” Culley said. “(The players) look at me cross-eyed when I’m not practicing what I’m preaching.”
Cunningham has 67 tackles and one forced fumble in 10 games (seven starts) this season.
A second-round pick by the Texans in 2017, Cunningham has 570 tackles, 6.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and one interception in 72 career games (66 starts).