what exactly are ya'll basing him being the best defender on the team on?
Zach Cunningham PFF Player grades since entering the league:
2017 - 66.6
2018 - 65.6
2019 - 69.0
Benardrick McKinney PFF Player grades since entering the league:
2015 - 76.5
2016 - 73.0
2017 - 69.0
2018 - 81.3
2019 - 66.4
By those grades, Cunningham's best year was McKinney's 2nd worst year.
I like Zach...I actually do think he's above average..but it's razor thin. Yeah, he's our best cover LB and his PFF grade is like 3 pts better than Mckinney's this year...but that doesn't say a whole lot considering our run defense was still largely trash (that goes on him & Mckinney) and he's barely better in coverage. You would think that our coverage LB would make the most plays while in coverage of all our LB core, but nope..that would be Mercy. Yeah, he made a ton of tackles this year, 2nd in the league amongst LBs...but that doesn't say alot..Morlon Greenwood used to make a ton of tackles too & he was...... not very good.
I see the same things from Cunningham that i saw from him in college; When he can get there he's bringing you down...but the illusion most people fall victim to when watching him is his long arms can usually get him within arms reach of many more tackles. but he always seems to be just a step behind or the runner is just outside of his grasp. He also doesn't make a ton of plays for a guy that's in the mix as much as he is either.