New England Patriots rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham could be on the verge of making his NFL debut, according to coach Bill Belichick.
On Friday, Belichick was singing Cunningham’s praises as a much-improved player on the practice squad. The former Louisville standout has worked mostly as a receiver, but the biggest impression he’s made on fans is his work under center as a quarterback during the preseason.
Even behind a struggling offensive line, Cunningham’s ability to scramble in the pocket and make plays with his legs gave the team a different element of attack they didn’t have with Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe. So it’s no surprise fans have been calling for him to return to the main roster and get reps as the quarterback with the team currently struggling to find any production at the position.
Belichick claimed Cunningham is trending towards playing, while talking up the rookie’s competence at playing receiver, quarterback and special teams.
“Malik’s really worked hard and made a lot of improvement,” said Belichick, via NESN’s Dakota Randall. “He never really played in the kicking game at Louisville, so he’s started to show up there. Never played receiver. That didn’t look very good either in the spring, but I think he’s really improved there. He can catch the ball, but just route-running, finding zones and things like that. But it’s come pretty naturally to him.
“And he plays a good amount of quarterback. He’s competent there. He’s a smart kid, he works hard, and the opportunities he’s had, he’s actually looked — he’s shown a lot of improvement doing them. It’s a little too early for an induction ceremony here, but it’s definitely a lot of improvement.”
Say goodbye to the “Zappe” chants and hello to screams for “Cunningham” if he gets on the field anytime soon.
The Patriots are sitting at 1-4 on the season with a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders coming up on Sunday, before a tough stretch of back-to-back divisional games against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.
They haven’t scored a touchdown since Week 3 against the New York Jets with Jones under center. If another game goes off the rails and Cunningham is standing on the sidelines, even if he’s initially brought in as a receiver or special-teamer, would Belichick consider pulling the trigger and putting him under center?
We could be close to finding out.
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