The Detroit Lions enter this season with one of the most stacked rosters in all of football. While they needed to make some additions, just like every other team, their starters were mostly set long before training camp.
That was definitely the case at linebacker. Even with Alex Anzalone holding out early before agreeing to a restructured deal, he was always expected to be back. Then, they had Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes to round things up.
Nevertheless, that doesn't mean there's no room for improvement there. If anything, new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard believes that Zach Cunningham is also a starting-caliber linebacker right now.
Lions Defensive Coordinator Raves About Zach Cunningham
"Kelvin Sheppard says Zach Cunningham is technically LB4 on Lions' depth chart, but 'he's a starting-caliber linebacker in this league,'" reported Lions beat writer Nolan Bianchi.
Cunningham faced plenty of competition when he arrived in Motor City. He competed with the likes of Grant Stuard, Trevor Nowaske, Anthony Pittman, DaRon Gilbert, and Ezekiel Turner for a roster spot, all while Malcolm Rodriguez keeps working his way back from a torn ACL injury.
Watching him beat some of them and leapfrog the others in the pecking order speaks volumes about the positive impact he's made on the team. Head coach Dan Campbell said he had a "great opportunity" to make a splash there earlier in the offseason, praising him for his coverage skills.
He also teased about potentially using him on special teams, although that might no longer be on the table after listing him as LB4.
The former second-round pick looked like a superstar in the making when he led the league in both solo tackles and combined tackles back in 2020 with the Houston Texans. He hasn't necessarily lived up to those expectations, but he's still been a productive, hard-hitting linebacker in his previous stops.
He played just seven games for the Denver Broncos last season after spending most of the year on their practice squad, logging four total tackles.
Before that, he made 13 appearances (ten starts) for the Philadelphia Eagles, logging 85 tackles and one fumble recovery. Per his career, he's registered 570 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and three fumble recoveries in 102 appearances (86) starts for the Texans, Titans, Eagles, and Broncos.
And with the Lions transitioning with a new defensive coordinator, the door will be wide open for him to keep making a strong impression and be the first guy off the bench if someone gets hurt.