Patriots promote Malik Cunningham to active roster as Mac Jones woes continue

The Patriots are making unusual moves with their quarterbacks again. On Saturday, New England elevated Malik Cunningham to their active roster, with plans on keeping him there the rest of the season.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said that Cunningham, on top of the promotion, received a new three-year contract. And he’s no ordinary QB3. The Patriots signed the athletic Cunningham as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville back in April. During training camp, the Pats used him as both a quarterback and receiver.

Rather than an elevation, Malik Cunningham is being signed to the 53-man roster with a three-year deal, source said. https://t.co/4laeepzref

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 14, 2023

Coach Bill Belichick knows he needs to do something to get the offense unstuck. The legendary head coach is experiencing some of the worst times in his career. He started October by losing to the Cowboys, 38-3. By point differential, the loss represented the worst in his career. Then last Sunday, New England lost 34-0 to New Orleans, proving that the Cowboys game wasn’t an abberation. The Patriots have started the season 1-4 for the first time since 2000, Belichick’s first in Foxboro.

In the past two games, Belichick benched starting quarterback Mac Jones. It’s basic football. If you go long stretches without scoring, you’re not doing your job. Plus, Jones has suffered six turnovers in the past two games.

Patriots need bodies, especially at receiver

But backup quarterback Bailey Zappe also isn’t showing much sizzle, so Belichick doesn’t have many options. Enter Cunningham, who has inate scrambling ability. He also can run routes and be involved in the return game. No one is talking about Cunningham taking over the offense. Rather, maybe Belichick and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien have a package for him similar to what the Saints do with Taysom Hill.

“Malik’s really worked hard and made a lot of improvement,” O’Brien told reporters. “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.”

The Patriots need bodies, especially at receiver. On Saturday, they elevated Tyquan Thornton from injured reserve to the active roster. Plus, they promoted receiver Jalen Reagor from the practice squad. On Friday, New England ruled out JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas from playing Sunday. Both have yet to clear concussion protocol.

Meanwhile, Belichick has made some unusual moves at quarterback. On the cut to 53 in late August, the Patriots only kept Jones, waiving both Zappe and Cunningham. It was risky, but both cleared waivers and made it back to the practice squad.

Now, Cunningham may get a chance as soon as Sunday in a road game against the Raiders.

“He’s definitely trending towards,” Belichick said. ”Yeah, anybody that keeps improving is going to eventually probably get an opportunity to play.”