Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins, 3 must-watch players vs. Miami Dolphins

3 of 4

JACKSONVILLE, FL – OCTOBER 21: David Grinnage #86 of the Jacksonville Jaguars is tackled by Zach Cunningham #41 of the Houston Texans during the game at TIAA Bank Field on October 21, 2018 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

2. Zach Cunningham

This has been an excellent thus far for Houston Texans linebacker Zach Cunningham as he has collected 61 total tackles, one forced fumble, three passes defensed and two stuffs through the first seven games of the season.

Cunningham is getting closer each week to surpassing his 90 combined tackles from his rookie season of 2017, and though if he stays healthy that number will be easily surpassed, Cunningham’s play has been a big force for Houston’s defensive resurgence this season.

In each of the past three games, Cunningham — a product of Vanderbilt — has not had less than 10 combined tackles in a game, including 13 against the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 14 in Week 6. This past Sunday in the 20-7 win against Jacksonville, Cunningham totaled 10 tackles with one forced fumble.

Thus far in his NFL career, Cunningham is living up to the potential the Texans saw in him to make him a second-round pick during the 2017 NFL Draft as he’s averaging 8.7 tackles per game this season.

As Cunningham doesn’t do much with sacking the quarterback, he plays well elsewhere on the field and will make tackles when needed for the Texans. Look for Cunningham to have another strong game against the Dolphins, as he’s an important part of success for the Texans’ resurgence defensively.

Home/Houston Texans News