Bill Belichick made it clear this week that he would experiment with his roster as the NFL season progresses. As part of that mission, the head coach said that intriguing quarterback/wide receiver Malik Cunningham is trending toward making his 2023 debut.
Usually tight-lipped about playing time decisions, Belichick's effusive praise of the practice squad player was notable. The former Louisville college football star's unique skill set enables him to play all over the offence, and the Patriots appear set to unleash him with little to lose after a 1-4 start to the campaign.
"Malik's really worked hard and made a lot of improvement," Belichick 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."
Belichick added: "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."
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Belichick's suffered two of the worst losses of his coaching career this season, falling 38-3 to the Dallas Cowboys and 34-0 to the New Orleans Saints. He removed starting quarterback Mac Jones in favour of Bailey Zappe midway through each contest.
Jones' passer rating has dropped to a career-worst 74.2 in 2023, prompting questions about whether New England should move on to other options. Still, Belichick said the ex-Alabama signal-caller will start in Week 6. So, if Cunningham plays an immediate offensive role, the Patriots will likely limit his snaps at quarterback.
Offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien also complimented Cunningham earlier this week. O'Brien hinted he could use the 25-year-old in a jack-of-all-trades role similar to how the Saints deploy Taysom Hill. Last week, Cunningham mimicked Hill's traits as part of the the practice squad to help prepare New England's starting defenders to face him.
Mac Jones has posted the worst passer rating of his career in 2023. (The Boston Globe via Getty Images)"Malik works very hard," O'Brien said. "He does a good job on the practice squad, plays a lot of receiver. He played some quarterback last week with mimicking Taysom Hill. But yeah, he does a really good job, and he's continued to improve. He's probably one of the most improved practice squad players that we have. So, good guy to work with."
Cunningham was part of New England's final round of preseason cuts, but he joined the practice squad after other NFL teams declined to claim him. During the summer, Cunningham claimed he didn't care where New England used him. "I'm a football player," he said. "Whatever they need me to do, I'm gonna do it."
The Patriots play the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday before meeting the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins in a pair of AFC East showdowns.
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