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The Houston Texans made a shocking announcement Wednesday morning by releasing linebacker Zach Cunningham. Cunningham's release comes off the heels of him being inactive for Sunday's divisional matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Texans have decided to waive Cunningham, once he has been cleared off waivers and isn't picked up by another team, he will become a free agent and can sign with any team that offers him a contract. However, If a team does claim Cunningham off of waivers, they will be responsible for just $275,000 remaining on his yearly salary.
Why was Zach Cunningham released by Houston Texans?
The Houston Texans signed linebacker Zach Cunningham to a four-year $58 million extension, with $23.5 million guaranteed just last year. Making his release on Wednesday morning even more surprising to a certain degree.
The Houston Texans have had to deal with a few disciplinary issues regarding Zach Cunningham so far this season,. He was benched for the first quarter of the Week 2 game against the Cleveland Browns due to his constant tardiness.
Zach Cunningham then missed the regular Sunday morning COVID-19 testing that each player is expected to do in order to play that afternoon. The missed testing resulted in the Houston Texans making Cunningham inactive against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The Texans lost to the Colts 31-0, making it a full sweep of the season from their division rival.
The Houston Texans had finally had enough with Zach Cunningham's disciplinary issues and decided to part ways with the linebacker for good. Zach Cunningham had 67 tackles and a forced fumble so far through this season.
Zach Cunningham led the National Football League in tackles in the 2020 NFL Season after signing his extension. Heading into the 2021 NFL season, the Texans considered trading Cunningham as they reconfigured the roster. But the Texans were unable to find a team that were willing to trade for Cunningham.
The Houston Texans drafted Zach Cunningham out of Vanderbilt in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. He was one the last remaining Bill O'Brien player left on the Houston Texans roster. This could have been one of the main reasons why the team was looking to part ways before the season began.
Now the question is where Zach Cunningham will land after being released by the Houston Texans and whether his previous disciplinary actions will make it difficult to convince another team to take a chance on the young linebacker.
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