Tag: Malik Cunningham

Instant analysis of Ravens signing former Patriots QB Malik Cunningham

Malik Cunningham is another missed opportunity for a Patriots team that seems to be out of touch.

There has been a mixture of anger and disappointment from fans following Tuesday’s news that the Baltimore Ravens had signed rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham off the New England Patriots’ practice squad.

The reality is Patriots coach Bill Belichick never valued Cunningham as a quarterback on the roster, aside from mimicking opposing players at the position on the scout team.

There was never any clear direction on what the team wanted him to be. On one hand, they worked him out behind the scenes at receiver, but then he would suddenly be back under center taking reps at quarterback.

Even when he showed promise at quarterback in the preseason, the Patriots were oddly baffled by what to do with him. They clearly liked him on the team, but they did him no favors in a critical year of development.

To make matters worse, the team is currently sitting at 3-10 with no hope of making the playoffs. Wouldn’t it have made sense to at least play Cunningham for a half and see what you have in the young signal-caller?

Instead, the Patriots have opted to lean on the Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe formula that obviously isn’t working.

Joining the Ravens could work wonders for Cunningham, who will finally be with a team that knows what to do with his unique talents as both a runner and passer. He’ll be able to learn the ropes of quarterbacking at the next level under a former NFL MVP and his former college teammate, Lamar Jackson.

Meanwhile, the Patriots can sift their way through this lost NFL season with some combination of Zappe, Jones and Will Grier.

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Is Trent Brown taking dig at Patriots in goodbye message to Malik Cunningham?

Patriots fans weren’t the only ones disappointed to see another team sign Malik Cunningham.

Shockwaves from Tuesday’s news of the Baltimore Ravens signing rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham off the New England Patriots’ practice squad has upset more than just the fan base.

Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown posted a goodbye message on his Instagram story following the news of Cunningham being signed by the Ravens. Some have viewed that message as an indirect shot at the Patriots’ organization for dropping the ball on the rookie’s talent and potential.

“Go flourish where your talent is respected lil bradda,” Brown posted.

The Patriots seemed to like Cunningham on the roster, but they never committed towards developing him as a quarterback. Instead, they tried to turn him into a wide receiver, while having him moonlight as a quarterback on occasion. But there was never any real direction with his development.

It’s a shame considering the promise he showed during the preseason.

The Patriots gambled with his talent and lost. Now, the Ravens will have an opportunity to see what they can do with that talent in their run-heavy offense, which is built on maximizing the unique talents of a player like Cunningham.

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Instant analysis of Ravens signing QB Malik Cunningham off Patriots’ practice squad

We’re looking at instant analysis of the Baltimore Ravens signing quarterback Malik Cunningham off the New England Patriots practice squad

The Ravens made a big move on Wednesday, signing Malik Cunningham off the Patriots practice squad, to their 53-man roster.

The move was made after the team decided to place Devin Duvernay on IR with a back injury suffered in Sunday’s win over the Rams.

With preparation for the Jaguars set to begin, here’s an instant analysis of the move.

Report: Ravens signing QB Malik Cunningham off Patriots’ practice squad

Ravens sign QB Malik Cunningham off the Patriots’ practice squad.

The Baltimore Ravens have reportedly signed rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham off the New England Patriots’ practice squad. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news on Tuesday.

Cunningham’s exit is a bit of a disappointment considering the Patriots never really gave him an opportunity under center. They instead chose to continue playing musical chairs with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe in a losing season.

For Cunningham, it’ll be a reunion with his former college teammate, Lamar Jackson, who sung his praises during the preseason. When the offense struggled with Zappe under center, Cunningham was the one player that was able to spark the offense with his legs, which is a skill set that none of the other quarterbacks on the Patriots’ roster have at the moment.

Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster recently called Cunningham “dangerous” with the ball in his hands. We could find out elsewhere with the rookie now headed to Baltimore to serve as a backup to Jackson and the playoff-bound Ravens.

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Ravens to sign QB Malik Cunningham off Patriots’ practice squad to 53-man roster

In a move that can be described as shocking, the Ravens are adding another quarterback to the roster, signing former Louisville star Malik Cunningham off the Patriots practice squad, to their 53-man roster.

In a move that can be described as shocking, the Ravens are adding another quarterback to the roster, signing former Louisville star Malik Cunningham off the Patriots practice squad to their 53-man roster.

New England signed Cunningham to the practice squad after going undrafted following a career for the Cardinals that saw him finish his career ranked fourth with 9,664 passing yards and fifth with 70 touchdowns in 56 games with 47 starts.

In the ACC, Cunningham accounted for 120 total touchdowns during his college career, with 50 rushing touchdowns and 70 touchdown passes.

Jackson and Cunningham spent one season together at Louisville, and now the dual-threat will learn from his mentor.

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Patriots elevate Malik Cunningham to main roster, but will he play?

Could Patriots QB Malik Cunningham see action on Thursday night?

For a second straight week, the New England Patriots announced they are elevating rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham to the main roster, ahead of Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite the Patriots not scoring a point against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, Cunningham remained on the bench behind Bailey Zappe, who started and played for the entire game. Could Thursday’s primetime game against the Steelers be different?

It’s certainly something to keep an eye on.

Zappe wasn’t terrible against the Chargers, but he also failed to generate the spark the team needed to move the ball. Granted, the team didn’t do him any favors. The offensive line play was atrocious, and receivers struggled to make plays.

That still doesn’t change the fact that Cunningham’s ability to scramble and make plays out of the pocket is a different element to his game that no other quarterback has on the team right now. That could prove beneficial against a Steelers defense that has shown vulnerabilities in stopping the run.

If the team struggles to move the ball for a second straight week, don’t be surprised if Cunningham gets an opportunity to shake things up.

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Bill Belichick commented on plan for Malik Cunningham moving forward

Bill Belichick commented on QB Malik Cunningham’s usage moving forward.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick spoke on “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday, following his team’s 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

He was asked about the potential usage of quarterback Malik Cunningham and ended up giving an interesting answer on the topic.

Cunningham was elevated from the team’s practice squad to the active roster on Saturday. He has seen action at the quarterback position before, playing against the Las Vegas Raiders on October 15. He saw time at both the wide receiver and quarterback positions in that contest.

“That’s an option. There’s other players that are options as well,” said Belichick, as transcribed by WEEI’s Mike Kadlick. “It’s just really a question of time, and commitment, and how much you can do and how well you can do it. The more time you commit to some things that’s less time you commit to something else. You just have to pick your priorities.”

It sounds as if the team has at least thought about using Cunningham over the last couple of weeks. The quarterback position is one of the weakest points on the team right now.

Testing out other options might at least give the Patriots a spark.

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5 big takeaways from Patriots’ demoralizing 6-0 loss vs Chargers

Here are 5 big takeaways from the Patriots’ 6-0 loss to the Chargers on Sunday.

On an ugly, rainy Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, the New England Patriots took on the Los Angeles Chargers in a football game that may have set the offense back by about 50 years.

The Chargers could only muster up six points against a tough Patriots defense, but New England’s Division II-level offense – led by quarterback Bailey Zappe – couldn’t come up with a single point of their own.

The 6-0 loss was just another feather in the cap of what has been a brutally awful season for New England, a season many fans are sure to remember for a very long time, but not for the right reasons.

Here are five big takeaways from the game.

The Morning After…new quarterback, same problems for Patriots

Even with Bailey Zappe under center, the Patriots were shut out at home by the worst passing defense in the NFL.

The New England Patriots had everything in play for a potential turnaround game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Mac Jones, who had handicapped the team with numerous turnovers, was watching from the sidelines, while Bailey Zappe finally got his chance to start and play for an entire game. The Patriots were facing a Chargers team with no Joey Bosa and the worst passing defense in the NFL.

There was no pressure or high expectations with the team sitting at 2-9 and pegged as underdogs in their home building. And the defense was playing lights out, as it has for most of the season, by limiting the previous two opponents to only 10 points.

Heaven itself opened and delivered a rainy, messy football game to help limit quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ potent offensive attack to give the Patriots a chance to compete on even ground.

None of it was enough for the Patriots, who crashed and burned with Bailey Zappe at the wheel for their second shutout loss at Gillette Stadium this season.

Here are some leftover notes from Sunday’s game:

Patriots elevate fan-favorite QB Malik Cunningham to main roster

Patriots QB Malik Cunningham gets elevated to the main roster and could see reps on Sunday.

Mac Jones’ demotion was likely confirmed on Saturday with the New England Patriots officially elevating backup quarterback Malik Cunningham to the main roster.

Cunningham was reportedly getting reps at quarterback at practice this week behind Bailey Zappe, while Jones ran the scout team. So there are expectations that the rookie signal-caller will see some work in Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

However, there no certainties of how extensive his offensive involvement will be.

The Patriots could look to get him in on a few package plays, and perhaps those opportunities could evolve from there depending on how the game plays out against the Chargers.

Cunningham’s ability to scramble and make plays on the move made him a fan-favorite in the preseason. Veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster called him “dangerous” with the ball in his hands.

This might finally be the chance Cunningham has been waiting for to show the NFL world just how dangerous he can be.

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