How Malik Cunningham’s special talents could give Patriots a spark

FOXBOROUGH – The sound of the whistle echoed across the Louisville practice field.

With each stride, the player ran faster and faster leaving teammates struggling to keep up. Malik Cunningham ran farther away from his competition. He was too fast, too driven. The more Lance Taylor watched, the more he appreciated what was happening.

In the spring of 2022, it took one conditioning session for Taylor to witness what set this senior quarterback apart. A special work ethic combined with an outstanding personality and extraordinary athletic traits made him a rare breed in the eyes of this first-year Louisville offensive coordinator.

“Malik’s the ultimate competitor,” Taylor said. “We were doing our offseason workouts and conditioning and getting ready for spring ball. During every single workout and run, he always competed and wanted to be first. He always ran with skill guys which most quarterbacks don’t normally do but not only was he running with the skill guys he was out running them.

“That just stuck out to me – his competitiveness. Great kid, great work ethic, wants to be great. Works to do all the little things to improve his game and I appreciated the time that I had with him. Special player.”

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Cunningham’s special career at Louisville included breaking Lamar Jackson’s school record with 120 career touchdowns. A dynamic athlete, he amassed 3,179 rushing yards to go with 9,660 passing yards. After playing quarterback his entire life, Cunningham joined the Patriots this offseason where the team shifted him to the receiver position.

The move wasn’t a surprise for Taylor, a former NFL receivers coach. NFL scouts had been inquiring about Cunningham’s ability to play other positions. The prospect’s determination to realize his NFL dream was more important than playing quarterback. Cunningham is also unselfish by nature.

“That’s what makes him a great leader and who he is. It’s why he connects well with the guys and why he’s a great teammate, because of his selflessness,” Taylor said. “He just wants to win. And he loves football and whatever job, role, or duty that he’s asked to do, he’s going to do it and most of the time do it really well whether he’s done it before or not.”

Cunningham’s skill set makes him the most intriguing prospect on the Patriots practice squad during the Bill Belichick era. The potential raises hope that he could provide a much-needed spark to the team’s struggling offense.

Bill O’Brien worked out Cunningham

At 6-foot, 192 pounds, Cunningham’s slight build concerned NFL draft evaluators. He could beat opposing defenses with his arm but lacked consistent deep-ball accuracy. His ability to make defenders miss with his legs, however, made him an intriguing prospect.

Countless NFL scouts came to Louisville throughout 2022, drawn by Cunningham’s athleticism. They peppered Taylor with questions about the quarterback’s football IQ, work ethic, his leadership, and how he processed the game.

“They always wanted to ask if I thought he could play a skill position. Could he play receiver or play different positions if asked?” Taylor said. “My answer was always the same – ‘Absolutely. To me, he’s going to do anything that you ask him to do because he’s going to work. It’s important to him. He cares and he’s going to work at it. He’s a special player. He’s got a high football IQ, a really good football player. Whether it’s as a passer, as a quarterback, as a receiver, as a gunner.’”

Of the teams that came to see, talk, and work out Cunningham during the spring, the only one to put him through a workout as a receiver was the Patriots.

While finishing their draft preparation, Bill Belichick sent offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to Louisville. O’Brien met with Cunningham and put him through a complex workout that included pass throwing, ball carry, and receiving.

When Cunningham went undrafted, the Patriots signed him as one of the NFL’s highest-paid undrafted free agents with $200,000 in guaranteed money. That was more than sixth-round picks Kayshon Boutte ($187,274) or Demario Douglas ($133,332) received in their rookie contracts.

“He had a lot of traits that could lead you to believe he could play quarterback, but he also could do some things as a receiver whether it was speed, overall athletic ability, his ability to change direction, his hands, the way he caught the ball,” O’Brien said. “He did a lot of different things in the workout that we had with him, including throwing the ball. He played a lot of quarterback in the workout and did a nice job. Those are the things that led us to believe that he could find a role on the team.”

Malik Cunningham’s NFL comparison

Learning how to play wide receiver can be tough. Learning how to play the position in the NFL is extremely difficult.

The first route Cunningham ever ran was in practice with the Patriots this spring. With the Patriots, he’s not only learning how to run routes but also the intricacies within the position, including things such as route running, route spacing, and route timing with the quarterback. That’s before even talking about catching the ball.

Transitioning from quarterback to receiver in the NFL is hard, but Taylor has seen it done before. In 2009, he was the receivers coach for Appalachian State, where he saw quarterback Armanti Edwards win his second Walter Payton Award for FCS Player of the Year. Their paths crossed in the NFL when Taylor was hired as the Carolina Panthers receivers coach. At that point, Edwards had transitioned from college quarterback to receiver/returner in the NFL.

Edwards, a third-round pick, was the Panthers top punt returner in 2011, kickoff returner in 2012, and caught six passes for 131 yards in four NFL seasons. He also completed two passes.

“He’s a really similar player and really similar mindset,” Taylor said. “When I got to Carolina, we were able to get him on the roster and he did the same thing, made that transition. He did a great job. That’s the guy I would kind of compare (Cunningham) to. Armanti had a great college career and really productive NFL career as a multi-tool, multi-position player.”

In New England, the most famous example is Julian Edelman, who played quarterback at Kent State before turning into the Patriots leading receiver and Super Bowl MVP.

This offseason, Cunningham has worked mainly as a receiver, but the team is also developing him into a special teams player. His first rep as a gunner in training camp was his first time trying that role. He’s also worked as a scout-team quarterback in Foxborough.

Life as a rookie in the NFL is tough. It’s made even tougher when you’re balancing multiple positions. Cunningham can pull it off due to his football IQ.

“One of the things that people probably discredit just a little bit but when you play the quarterback position, you see the game differently than most other players and other positions,” Taylor said. “You see the game holistically and you know what everybody’s roles and responsibilities are.

“Sometimes if you have that unique and innate ability to transition and be special as an athlete, then it comes somewhat naturally because you understand the game, you understand timing and routes and where you’re supposed to be and how it fits in.”

Malik Cunningham continues to impress

After practicing at receiver for most of training camp, Malik Cunningham set Gillette Stadium ablaze in a matter of minutes as a quarterback in his preseason debut. The rookie completed 3-of-4 passes for 19 yards. He ran five times for 34 yards, lost his helmet, and scored on a 9-yard touchdown run against the Houston Texans.

That started ‘Malik Mania,’ but the party was put on hold when Cunningham was cut at the end of training camp and signed to the Patriots practice squad. For the rookie, his first NFL season has been a slow simmer aimed at learning a new position.

Still, coaches and teammates have been impressed.

“It’s a big challenge. You’re talking about a kid, even since playing Pee Wee football he never got in a wide receiver stance. You’re talking about taking someone from A-to-Z through the position,” Patriots receiver coach Ross Douglas said. “It’s been a process. It’s been fun. He’s gotten better… He’s an improving young player, so he’s got to continue on the same trajectory and good things will happen for him.”

“That’s another situation. That’s a dangerous dude right there,” added receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. “Him being in there, he can do a lot of different things with the ball in his hands.”

Douglas noted that Cunningham comes to Gillette Stadium every day with a smile on his face. Of course, it hasn’t been easy. He’s in meetings as a receiver, special teamer, and quarterback. His reps in practice have mainly been at receiver, but the Patriots continue to sprinkle him in at quarterback.

Cunningham was signed to the 53-man roster in Week 6 and played that week as the team’s backup quarterback. After being released and signed back to the practice squad, Cunningham went back to practicing as a receiver.

That changed this week. Cunningham is once again practicing as a quarterback and could back up Bailey Zappe, who’s in line to start over Mac Jones.

“He plays so many different positions,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “He plays receiver, quarterback, and does special teams. Versatility is obviously what stands out to you. Speed as well. He’s definitely dynamic. He definitely can add an element (to our offense).”

“He’s kind of a unique player,” Belichick added. “Things aren’t so straight-lined with him. He’s different than probably every other player that we have on the team. So, he’s handled a little differently.”

For Cunningham, that’s just fine. He wants this NFL dream so bad that he’ll play any position asked of him. His former offensive coordinator, Taylor, sees success in his future. For someone who’s worked with Pro Bowl players such as Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore, that says a lot.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be around some great players and he’s one of them for sure,” Taylor said. “He’s one of those guys that even when you call play in a not great look, he can make it right and make a couple of guys miss or he can make an unbelievable throw. He can get you out of some bad call.”

For a Patriots team struggling at quarterback and receiver, Cunningham’s opportunity could be coming soon.

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