Even though the Detroit Lions are technically on their bye week, the suspension of Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch officially came to an end on Wednesday.
That meant his exemption from the roster had concluded, which in turn meant the Lions had to make a move to get the active roster back to 53 players. To do so, the team announced that linebacker Zach Cunningham is headed to injured reserve.
Cunningham exited Monday night’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a hamstring injury after also being sidelined with a hamstring injury from Weeks 4-6. Cunningham played well when available; he was primarily used on special teams and occasionally on defense. He registered seven tackles and a tackle-for-loss in four games.
It’s unclear whether Cunningham will be able to return this season, but the fact that the hamstring injury was bad enough to land him on injured reserve is not a good sign.
Though the loss is disappointing for Detroit, the team is still looking forward to the return of linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, who has yet to return to practice after suffering a season-ending knee injury last Thanksgiving.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
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