Quietly, the AFC has a new tackling-machine. He resides in Houston and plays for the Texans.
Third-year inside linebacker Zach Cunningham paces the AFC with 128 combined tackles, which also sits at fifth in the NFL. His 89 solo tackles are second in the league. He has also cut-down his missed tackle rate from 13% to 7.9%, per Pro Football Reference.
On Tuesday evening, the NFL recognized Cunningham’s efforts by naming him as a Pro Bowl alternate behind Darius Leonard and Dont’a Hightower. For him, it’s an honor, but it wasn’t one he pushed for.
A quiet menace, the Vanderbilt product lets his play do the talking.
“I let my actions speak for themselves,” Cunningham said on Wednesday.
Cunningham isn’t just one of the top tackles in professional football, he’s also one of the top run defenders. According to Pro Football Focus, he leads the NFL in run stops (44) and run-stop rate (14.3%).
Cunningham’s numbers and fiery style of play earns him recognition from those around the NFL. Though he lets his action speak for themselves, as he says, he can’t help but realize that the recognition means a lot to him.
“To definitely have that recognition, you know, just knowing that you got that respect around the league, that’s something that means a lot to me,” Cunningham said.
His peers have noticed. After games, Cunningham attracts the attention of opponents who would like to tell him to continue doing well and compliment him.
“There’s a few things I’ve heard after games,” Cunningham said. “Just guys letting me know that I’ve been doing real good. And (what they say) it’s keep balling, stay healthy, those type of things.”
At 25 years old, Cunningham is still a relative newbie to the NFL. However, the league is taking notice of his actions, even if he isn’t one to show them first-hand.