Justice Cunningham hopes to offer help for Rams at tight end

Justice Cunningham hopes to offer help for Rams at tight end

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/22662/justice-cunningham-hopes-to-offer-help-for-rams-at-tight-end

EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams tight end Justice Cunningham had learned just a couple of hours earlier that he was being promoted from the practice squad to the active roster last Thursday afternoon.

Yet there Cunningham was after the practice, catching passes for an extra 20 minutes on JUGS machine as his teammates retired to the locker room to begin their weekend off.

Thing was, this wasn’t Cunningham’s attempt to get extra work in now that he’s on the active roster. This is his routine.

“I do that every day,” Cunningham said. “I’ve got to. I’ve got to be ready when my name is called.”

Justice Cunningham has put in plenty of extra work in case his number was called. AP Photo/Tony Dejak
Cunningham’s name was called last week after Rams coach Jeff Fisher revealed that tight end Lance Kendricks had undergone finger surgery earlier in the week and could miss some time as he recovers. Fisher said Kendricks will likely be questionable for this week’s game against Cleveland, but if he’s not ready to go the Rams need a blocking specialist at tight end capable of helping out.

That’s where Cunningham comes in. The 6-foot-3, 258-pound tight end has shuttled between the practice squad and active roster for the Rams for the past couple of seasons after starting his career with the Indianapolis Colts. Cunningham has one catch for four yards to his name, with that grab coming as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. He was on the Rams’ roster from Week 13 to 17 last year but was inactive in each of those games.

Cunningham’s blocking and ability to chip on special teams made him an easy fit to serve as insurance for Kendricks.

“Special teams (and) he knows the offense and he can play on the line,” Fisher said of Cunningham’s versatility. “He can play the fullback position, do all the same things that Lance has done — good blocker, strong, physical. Good hands, can get open.”

The hands part hasn’t exactly been Cunningham’s strength since he’s been in St. Louis, which is why he’s a regular working on the JUGS machine. During the course of a normal practice, Cunningham can be found contributing on any number of special teams units, playing fullback or tight end on the scout team and even chipping in on defense for the scout team.

Now that he’s on the active roster, Cunningham can prepare as though he’ll be part of the gameday depth.

“You can’t be thinking practice squad,” Cunningham said. “You’ve got to practice like you’re active every day, and hopefully the coaches see your hard work. My tight end coach (Rob Boras) definitely does. He holds me accountable like I play every game. I respect that because I like to be part of everything and know what’s going on and be a part of the system and work hard every day.”

Cunningham was taken by surprise when Fisher informed him of his promotion before last week’s practice, but now he knows he must make the most of it.

“It came out of nowhere, but I appreciate coach Fish giving me the chance, I really do,” Cunningham said.