The Detroit Lions possess one of the best offenses in the league. Thanks to that, it’s difficult imagining any depth skilled-position players, such as Malik Cunningham, emerging with a significant role for the Lions this summer.
That is, if he makes it on the roster until the summer.
The converted quarterback is in a crowded Lions receiver room. As a result, A to Z Sports’ Mike Payton isn’t sure the former signal-caller is even going to make it to training camp with the Lions.
Payton included Cunningham on a list of players the Lions “could realistically” cut after offseason workouts.
“There are just so many receivers on this team right now,” wrote Payton. “There are 10 receivers on this team, and you can find a reason for every single one of them to be here right now.
“If you wanted to switch Cunningham to his original spot as a quarterback, he’d have to contend with Teddy Bridgewater and Luke Altmeyer. That’s a lot.”
Cunningham entered the league as an undrafted quarterback for the New England Patriots. He also played behind center for the Baltimore Ravens before beginning to transition to wide receiver with Baltimore.
Cunningham spent last season on the Lions practice squad.
Lions’ Malik Cunningham Called NFL Cut Candidate
Payton labeling the relatively new receiver a cut candidate for the Lions wasn’t super surprising. As the analyst explained, it could be a pure numbers crunch for Cunningham with Detroit this summer.
Receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa are obvious locks for the Lions roster. Greg Dortch could be in that group too, but let’s call him a near-lock. Detroit added Dortch to help replace departed Kalif Raymond in the return game.
Also in NFL free agency this offseason, the Lions signed Cedrick Wilson Jr. Detroit added wideout Kendrick Law in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft as well.
To keep Cunningham, Payton explored potentially moving him to the quarterback depth chart. But Payton doesn’t see the playmaker getting ahead of undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer for the QB3 role.
In offseason workouts, Cunningham will likely compete with Jackson Meeks, Tom Kennedy and Dominic Lovett for playing time. But it’s possible none of those receivers make Detroit’s final roster.
The surprise with Payton’s list, though, was the immediacy of the wideout’s potential release. He suggested it might not be worth even keeping Cunningham for the rest of the offseason.
At Louisville, Cunningham was an electric quarterback, throwing for 70 touchdowns and running for 50 scores in 56 career games. He also amassed nearly 10,000 passing yards and more than 3,000 yards on the ground while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
In 2021, Cunningham led the ACC with 20 rushing touchdowns while gaining 1,031 rushing yards.
Other Potential Lions Cut Candidates
In addition to Cunningham, Payton named three other immediate players the team could release — offensive tackle Colby Sorsdal, defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike and safety Loren Strickland.
The analyst labeled Sorsdal and Strickland the same type of roster cut as Cunningham. The Lions made offensive tackle a major emphasis this offseason, so Sorsdal could be the odd-man out. Depending on the health of some veterans in the Detroit secondary, the same is likely to be the case for Strickland.
But Onwuzurike was the biggest surprise on Payton’s list. Again, not that he was a cut candidate — other pundits have named him that too — but with how quickly Payton sees the Lions potentially giving up on Onwuzurike.
“Ideally, the Lions’ former second-round pick can get right back to that player he was in 2024, and Detroit keeps him,” wrote Payton. “Until that happens, you have to be on guard with this one. This is likely to be a big week for him to show he’s athletically still in a good spot.”
The Lions will begin their offseason workouts on Wednesday, May 27. The team’s mandatory minicamp will be June 16-17.
Ex-Quarterback Dubbed Lions Offseason Cut Candidate