The Houston Texans’ defense–coached by first-time defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel–added a versatile weapon in the second round of this years draft with Zach Cunningham.
The Houston Texans made a somewhat of a surprise pick, when they drafted Vanderbilt inside linebacker Zach Cunningham in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
The NFL is seeing more and more three-wide sets, which has forced defenses to play in their nickel defenses more.
The Texans’ linebackers got torched by the New England Patriot’s and Oakland Raiders’ running backs last season.
The former Vanderbilt standout has been widely regarded as an excellent coverage linebacker coming out of the SEC. Cunningham possesses top-end linebacker speed that will aid him in coverage and overall production.
Cunningham is the perfect ailment to the Texans’ one defensive weakness.
Cunningham is also expected to be the eventual replacement for former first round pick, Brian Cushing.
Cushing, while being the heart of the Texans defense, has not looked like his former self since suffering multiple knee injuries over the past few years.
Nickel defenses are becoming a main stay of NFL. Now the Texans have the perfect personnel for that style.
The Texans’ defense already has an arsenal of talent. This includes former first overall selection Jadeveon Clowney, three-time defensive player of the year J.J. Watt, sack leader Whitney Mercilus, and the emergence of stud run stoppers Bendardrick McKinney and D.J. Reader.
The Texans have the ability to counter any offense in their base nickel defense.
The addition of Cunningham allows Vrabel and company to implement a more basic nickel defense. This means there will be two linebackers on the field at the same time as opposed to the safety-linebacker hybrid the team has employed in recent seasons.
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This is important because McKinney and Cunningham are the perfect compliments to each otherat linebacker. Where one struggles the other excels.
The front four of the Texans’ nickel defense would have Clowney, Watt, Reader, and Mercilus with the two aforementioned linebackers behind them.
Offenses will have a tough time completing intermediate and short passes with Cunningham in the middle. They will have an even tougher time running against the likes of the rest of that front.
With the Texans’ depth in the defensive backfield still present, this defense is now complete with the addition of Cunningham. Every aspect of the team’s defense has depth. This allows them to stay fresh.
Above all else– Cunningham should be able to learn a lot from Cushing and ease into a prominent role with the team until his predecessor leaves.
Oh, and you can bet this will motivate Cushing for the upcoming season. Do not expect him to give hos job away without a dog fight.
There has been a lot of talk about Deshaun Watson and the development of the Houston offense. Do not be surprised if Zach Cunningham becomes a household name come seasons end.