New England Patriots rookie Malik Cunningham became one of the few bright spots in the preseason opener on August 10, but the coaching staff did not change course with the electrifying former Louisville quarterback.
Cunningham impressed at quarterback with the Patriots amid 3-4 passing for 19 yards and five carries for 34 yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans. That didn’t keep the coaches from putting Cunningham back at wide receiver for practice on Sunday, August 12, according to Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard.
New England signed Cunningham as an undrafted free agent at quarterback but moved him to receiver during offseason workouts. Cunningham began at receiver in college before he became a quarterback, and he played wide receiver in the first half of the preseason opener.
His play in the Patriots’ lackluster preseason opener drew attention from fans, media, and players. Former Louisville teammate and current Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson certainly liked how Cunningham looked.
Jackson called Cunningham “QB1” in an Instagram post comment. The former MVP also tweeted “broski” with a video of Cunningham’s touchdown.
NFL analyst Pat McAfee talked about how Cunningham going undrafted, stunned him. Cunningham broke some of Jackson’s records at Louisville but didn’t crack the top 10 prospects by Pro Football Focus.
“Two-hundred-fifty-nine picks in that draft last year, Malik Cunningham was not drafted,” McAfee said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on August 11. “Somehow this guy is an undrafted free agent that Bill Belichick finds. And in the fourth quarter of the first preseason game, he gets an opportunity to play quarterback [and] electrifies everything.”
Patriots Had Both WR & QB in Mind for Malik Cunningham
Belichick had both receiver and quarterback in mind for Cunningham leading up to that game.
“He did a nice job, showed some poise out there, some toughness, moved the team,” Belichick said in the postgame press conference.
“He’s been working both spots. That’s his opportunity and he’s done a good job with it. He’s embraced it, he’s worked hard, he’s improved a lot as a receiver, and the snaps he’s had at quarterbacks and tonight he’s done a good job with it,” Belichick added.
Bailey Zappe Impressed by Malik Cunningham
Patriots backup quarterback Bailey Zappe, who started the game, also liked Cunningham’s performance. Zappe went 12-14 for 79 yards, but he couldn’t move the ball as Cunningham did.
“Malik came in and did a phenomenal job, had a really good drive, scored the only touchdown of the game,” Zappe told reporters on August 10. “Did really good in both the run game and the pass game. It was really nice to see him do that, especially in his first game in the NFL, to really go out there and kind of put the jitters aside and play like he did was really good to see.”
Where Cunningham will see a role with the Patriots at the end of training camp remains in question. The Patriots have ample receiver depth ahead of Cunningham, and the team has three quarterbacks already as Cunningham remains at receiver.
His receiver performance in the opener didn’t help his cause amid zero catches, and multiple receivers impressed. Tyquan Thornton led receivers with two catches for 31 yards, and Tre Nixon posted four catches for 23 yards.
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Patriots Turn Heads at Practice After Malik Cunningham’s Preseason Debut at QB