Former defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, under contract for the 2014 season, will remain with the Detroit Lions as a senior coaching assistant MLive.com has confirmed.

Cunningham, who has more than four decades of coaching experience, joined the Lions in 2009 after a five-year stint as the Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator.

Detroit was last in total defense his first year with the club, but finished in the top half of the league each of the past two seasons.

While it remains unclear what the new role entails, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press is reporting Cunningham will work with personnel. He'll likely serve as a bridge between the team's defensive players and new coordinator Teryl Austin.

Cunningham has developed strong bonds with several players on Detroit's roster, including superstar defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

The coach also brings his appreciation and application of analytics to the new staff. Cunningham is known for studying advanced metrics and statistics. He has expressed an appreciation for companies that track the information, including STATS LLC. and Pro Football Focus.

Cunningham marks the ninth assistant retained by new head coach Jim Caldwell. Defensive line assistants Kris Kocurek and Jim Washburn were the only others retained from the defensive side of the ball.

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