Roster News: Lions Sign Veteran Linebacker

The Detroit Lions have added more veteran linebacker depth ahead of the start of organized team activities this week.

NFL media reported Tuesday that the Lions have signed Zach Cunningham, who played seven games for the Denver Broncos last season. A second-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2017, Cunningham has played for four teams across his eight NFL seasons.

Cunningham has three seasons with over 100 tackles in his career, with his best campaign coming in 2020 when he had 164 combined tackles, which led the league, seven tackles for loss and three sacks.

For his efforts in 2020, he was re-signed by the Texans to a four-year, $58 million extension. However, he was waived the following year after enduring multiple benchings due to violations of team rules.

He was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans, where he would play the final four games of the season.

Cunningham remained in Tennessee through the 2022 campaign, as he was released and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. He played in 13 games with 10 starts for the Eagles, and landed on the Broncos' practice squad last season.

The veteran was promoted to Denver's active roster on Nov. 27 last season. A majority of his action was on special teams, as he played 41 snaps in that aspect of the game compared to 15 defensive snaps.

The Lions have several key players at the linebacker returning, most notably in Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes.

Malcolm Rodriguez's status for the start of the season is uncertain after suffering a late-season torn ACL, and Trevor Nowaske, Anthony Pittman and Ezekiel Turner are back in the mix after playing key roles down the stretch last season.