Malik Cunningham’s Patriots Future Takes New Turn: Insider

Getty Malik Cunningham, newly signed Patriot

It is here. Malik Cunningham‘s Patriots future has come into focus, and all will be well in New England from here on out.

Well, OK, maybe, like coach Bill Belichick said on Friday, we should slow down on the carving of Cunningham’s Hall of Fame bust. But the team will, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, move Cunningham from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, and will do so on a new, three-year contract rather than a “standard elevation.”

In other words, we could be seeing a lot more of Cunningham in the weeks, months and, perhaps, years.

Coaches this week said Cunningham has shined on the Patriots’ practice squad. “He’s definitely trending towards – anybody who keeps improving is going to eventually probably get an opportunity to play,” Belichick said.

But don’t pencil in Cunningham to take over for quarterback Mac Jones. Though he starred as a quarterback at Louisville and played QB in the preseason, the Patriots have been molding him as a receiver.

“Malik’s really worked hard and made a lot of improvement,” Belichick said at his final pregame press conference on Friday. “He never really played in the kicking game at Louisville, so he’s started to show up there, never played receiver – didn’t look very good either, in the spring, but he’s really improved there. He can catch the ball, but just route running and finding zones and things like that. But, it’s come pretty naturally to him.”

Malik Cunningham, Wide Receiver (Mostly)

As Marc Daniels of MassLive.com points out, the Patriots are decidedly thin at receiver, with Juju Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas out. But Cunningham’s status as a dual threat leaves open the option for New England to, “dial up special packages.”

“He plays a good amount of quarterback (on the practice squad),” Belichick said. “He’s competent there. He’s a smart kid, works hard, and the opportunities he’s had, he’s shown a lot of improvement. It’s a little too early for an induction ceremony here, but definitely a lot of improvement.”

During the preseason opener, Cunningham led the Patriots on their only touchdown drive late in the game against Houston. In all, Cunningham was 3-for-4 passing for 19 yards and added another 34 yards rushing, including a touchdown with 1:54 to go in the game. The drive he led lasted 14 plays and covered 75 yards.

Cunningham would be a curveball at quarterback. He clearly has talent, and accounted for 120 touchdowns (which broke Ravens star Lamar Jackson’s school record for TDs) in 56 starts with Louisville. He broke 1,000 rushing yards as a fourth-year junior in 2021, and over the course of his career, he averaged 5.1 yards per carry.

Cunningham Often Compared to Lamar Jackson

Over the years, given the similarity in style of play and, obviously, shared alma mater, Cunningham and Jackson have forged a good relationship, though last year at ACC media day, Cunningham admitted he was getting tired of being compared to the Ravens star.

“I do get tired of it a little bit, but who wouldn’t want to be compared to Lamar?” Cunningham said. “I mean, the great Lamar, in my opinion, the best college football player to ever play the sport. Just a role model to me, a big brother, and I’m thankful for a lot of the stuff that he does for me.”

At this point, Cunningham is not looking to become the next Jackson, anyway. He just wants to get on an NFL field. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien indicated that is getting closer.

“Malik did a good job in the preseason. Malik works very hard,” O’Brien said this week. “He does a good job on the practice squad, plays a lot of receiver. … He does a really good job, and he’s continued to improve. He’s probably one of the most improved practice squad players that we have. So, good guy to work with.”