With Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch coming off the reserve/suspended list this week, the team needed to create a roster spot to accommodate his return to the 53-man roster. That move comes with some bad news. The Lions have officially placed veteran linebacker Zach Cunningham on injured reserve.
Cunningham returned to the lineup on Monday night after missing the past three games with a hamstring injury. He played in 15 special teams snaps and three on defense before leaving the game with another hamstring injury. Per Detroit Football Network, it was an aggravation of the same hamstring.
While it must certainly be frustrating for Cunningham, the Lions should be well prepared to absorb the injury hit. Not only are the Lions deep and healthy at the linebacker position, but they could also be getting Malcolm Rodriguez back relatively soon. When recently asked if Rodriguez—who tore his ACL last November—is ready to return to practice, Lions coach Dan Campbell said that it could happen shortly after the team’s current bye week.
“We’re hoping after the bye we can start rolling him out there a little bit, get him going,” Campbell said.
As for Cunningham, it’s unclear how much time he’ll miss. He’ll have to sit out at least four games, making him eligible to return in the team’s Thanksgiving game against the Packers. He had been making a pretty strong impact in his limited roles. Despite only playing 14 defensive snaps for Detroit over four games, Cunningham logged seven tackles and one tackle for loss—including a big play during Detroit’s goal-line stand against the Baltimore Ravens. Additionally, he played at least a dozen special teams snaps in all four games he was active in.
At the moment, the Lions still have the following healthy linebackers on their roster: Derrick Barnes, Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Trevor Nowaske, and Grant Stuard—with Ty Summers on the practice squad.
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