Undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham provided a jolt for the Patriots’ offense in his most extensive work of the preseason two weeks ago. Top decision makers now must determine whether that was enough to keep him on the 53-man roster or risk losing him on waivers before he lands on the practice squad.
The Patriots must trim their roster from 89 players down to 53 by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Cunningham, a college quarterback, started the summer at wide receiver before taking more and more snaps at his natural position prior to Week 1 of the preseason. He scored the team’s lone touchdown against the Houston Texans in that game while showing some promise as a passer. The rookie only played wide receiver last week as the Patriots’ second preseason game was suspended after cornerback Isaiah Bolden suffered a concussion. Cunningham didn’t complete his two passing attempts Friday night in the Patriots’ preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans. He rushed once for 5 yards in the loss.
The decision whether to keep or cut Cunningham is not an easy one since he holds value for the team even if he doesn’t play a single snap this season. The Patriots have already used Cunningham at quarterback in practice as the team prepares for the Philadelphia Eagles and mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts in Week 1 of the regular season. It seems unlikely that he would hold a significant role at quarterback or wide receiver on game day.
“There’s a lot of stuff that I still need to work on, but I feel like I put enough good stuff on film to let the coaches handle, make that decision. It’s not my decision. I can only control what I can control. Just keep my head down and keep working.”
The 24-year-old rookie was targeted nine times in the preseason and caught one pass for a 1-yard loss. His conversion to wide receiver hasn’t been an overly smooth one. It probably doesn’t help that he’s being forced to play two offensive positions in practice with snaps at wide receiver and quarterback.
“I’m a football player,” Cunningham said when asked what position he prefers. “Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do it.”
Cunningham’s contract with the Patriots broke team records for an undrafted free agent with $200,000 in total guarantees. Most NFL players are not claimed after being waived during cutdowns, but Cunningham could be an exception for what he showed in limited snaps as a mobile quarterback this preseason. The Patriots clearly had some competition for his services since they gave him a $30,000 signing bonus.
Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe will be the team’s top two quarterbacks. The team seems to be leaning towards keeping six wide receivers in JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton and Kayshon Boutte. Cunningham would serve as a third quarterback/seventh wide receiver if kept. Neither role is a necessary one for the team.
The Patriots could use a player like Cunningham to prepare for Hurts. But ultimately, they’ll need to determine if his skills at either position are working using a roster spot to develop. There was a thought that he’d need to keep growing after Week 1 of the preseason to make the roster. Instead, he peaked in the Patriots’ first preseason game.
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August 26, 2023 at 11:13AM
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Patriots have difficult decision to make with Malik Cunningham as cutdowns loom - Boston Herald
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