FOXBOROUGH – Practice squad players tend to be somewhat out of sight, and out of mind.
Malik Cunningham could be changing that narrative fairly soon. The rookie quarterback out of Louisville, who turned some heads during the preseason with his performance against the Houston Texans, has continued to progress not only at quarterback, but also at receiver and on special teams.
Listening to Patriots coach Bill Belichick during his Friday press briefing, Cunningham is trending toward being elevated on game day.
“Anybody that keeps improving, eventually, he’ll probably get an opportunity to play,” said Belichick, who is prepping the team for a game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
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Earlier in the week, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien sung his praises for how much improvement Cunningham had shown. On Friday, Belichick echoed those sentiments.
“Malik’s really worked hard and made a lot of improvement,” Belichick said during his Friday morning presser. “He’s never really played in the kicking game at Louisville, so he’s started to show up there. He never played receiver and that didn’t look very good either, in the spring. But he’s really improved there.
“He can catch the ball. It’s just route-running, finding zones, and things like that, but it’s come really natural to him. And the plays we’ve given him at quarterback, he’s competent there.”
Then Belichick cautioned with a wry smile: “But it’s a little too early for an induction ceremony (in Canton). But there’s definitely a lot of improvement.”
Cunningham flashed during his the preseason opener, making a good first game impression – as a quarterback.
During the preseason opener against the Texans, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder was inserted into the game late in the fourth quarter. He subsequently led the Patriots on their only touchdown-scoring drive.
He went 3-for-4 with 19 passing yards, with his lone incompletion a near touchdown pass to Tre Nixon. He made his biggest dent on the ground, rushing five times for 34 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown run where he juked Texans linebacker Jake Hanson en route to the end zone.
During training camp, Cunningham was used quite a bit in the red zone in a Taysom Hill-type role. It’s possible the Patriots might use him for a change of pace down the road.
Said Belichick: “He’s a smart kid, he works hard, and the opportunities he’s had, he’s shown a lot of improvement.”
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