FOXBORO, Mass — Another week, another shake-up to the Patriots’ quarterback room.
Quarterback/ wide receiver Malik Cunnigham will be leaving Foxboro to join the Patriots’ conference rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The move reunites Cunnigham with his college teammate and 2019 NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson. The versatile and mobile Cunningham will round out a Ravens’ QB room already sporting backups Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson as Baltimore marches toward the playoffs.
Cunningham tied Lamar Jackson’s school record for touchdowns at Louisville as a QB but signed as a wide receiver with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent this spring. Cunningham was put through his paces by the Patriots this summer, taking reps under center, at wideout and on special teams.
The Patriots waived Cunningham after the final week of the preseason before signing the potential dual-threat weapon to their practice squad. Cunningham was later signed to the active roster prior to New England’s Week 5 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders before the Patriots once again released the 25-year-old and signed him to the practice squad.
Although most of his time in practice was spent with the wide receivers, Cunningham was elevated to the Patriots’ active gameday roster the past two games to help support new starting QB Bailey Zappe in the wake of Mac Jones’ benching. However, despite New England reportedly installing a series of packages for the Louisville product, Cunningham was relegated to being an onlooker in the Patriots’ two games, a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I wanted to thank Mr Kraft and Coach Belichick for giving me the opportunity to play with the Patriots,” Cunningham reportedly told ESPN. “I learned a lot from them. I want to be a coach one day, so I would take notes from coach Belichick because he’s one of the greatest of all time. I had great teammates in New England and built relationships that will last a lifetime. But I just feel like this is a good opportunity for me and I’m excited to be a Baltimore Raven.”
Cunningham’s departure leaves Zappe and Jones as the two QBs on New England’s active roster. Will Grier, who was signed off the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad in September, also remains on New England’s practice squad.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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