Malik

Cunningham

The former Louisville quarterback made his first career appearance in an NFL game in 2025. He ran the ball against the Cowboys in Week 14 one time and gained one yard. OL Devin Cochran, DE Ahmed Hassanein, TE Zach Horton, WR Jackson Meeks, OL Mason Miller (not the Padres reliever), RB Jabari Small, DL Chris Smith and S Loren Strickland were also all signed to reserve/future deals by the Lions.

According to Ravens team writer Ryan Mink, the Ravens listed Cunningham as a wide receiver on their roster. Mink also added that Cunningham made “several grabs” during Thursday’s OTAs. Cunningham went undrafted out of Louisville last season and split time at quarterback and receiver with the Patriots last season before being signed off the Patriots practice squad by the Ravens in December. It now appears Cunningham will make a permanent move to receiver for the Ravens, which may give him a better chance at sticking in the league. He’ll have a chance to earn a spot on the 53-man roster this offseason but is most likely to land on the practice squad as a developmental player.

It’s a reunion for Cunningham and Lamar Jackson, who played together at Louisville in 2017. The Patriots had tried to deploy the speedy Cunningham in several non-quarterback roles in the preseason but never committed to him as a mainstay in the offense. In Baltimore, Cunningham will be behind Jackson, Tyler Huntley, and Josh Johnson. He could be a long-term project for the Ravens.

Howe added that the Pats have prepared a package of plays for Malik Cunningham. Zappe didn’t do much after replacing Mac Jones in Week 12. He took over at halftime and threw for 54 scoreless yards and an interception. Normally that wouldn’t earn a player the starting nod in the following week, but with the alternative of crawling back to Jones looking equally as unappealing, Bill Belichick will give Zappe a shot versus the Chargers. The move doesn’t change much for the offense’s outlook. For fantasy purposes, DeVante Parker is a lowly WR6 while Hunter Henry remains stuck in the TE2 ranks.

Zappe replaced Mac Jones in the second half of the Patriots’ Week 12 loss to the Giants, completing 9-of-14 passes for 54 yards and an interception. Him being first through passing drills on Wednesday is a good sign that he may be in line to start in Week 13 against the Chargers. However, even more interestingly, it was Malik Cunningham who worked in behind Zappe and not Mac Jones, suggesting that we might not be far off from Cunningham getting a chance at NFL game action.

Zappe came in for a benched Mac Jones at the start of the second half, with the Patriots scoring on a Rhamondre Stevenson rushing touchdown on Zappe’s first drive. After that, the Pats offense went back to its rough shape and Zappe averaged less than eight yards per completion. He threw an early fourth quarter interception and nearly threw another one with two minutes left. Between Zappe and Jones, the Patriots quarterback situation is a mess and seems to be beckoning for Malik Cunningham to get looks for this 2-9 team.

Cunningham was waived by the Patriots earlier this week and finds himself back on the team’s practice squad. He has spent time going back-and-forth joining the Patriots’ active roster and being waived and re-signed to the practice squad this season. Cunningham seems to be the emergency option at quarterback behind Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe for the Patriots.

In a bit of a surprising move, the Pats are letting go of Cunningham after signing him to a three-year contract just a couple of weeks ago. With Mac Jones having a good game against the Bills and Bailey Zappe and/or Will Grier backing him up, the Patriots likely found Cunningham expendable. He’ll now be put on waivers after making one appearance this season.

Patriots practices this week, according to Howe, have involved Cunningham as a utility weapon in the struggling New England offense. “He’s a smart kid, works hard, and the opportunities he’s had, he’s shown a lot of improvement,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Friday. Cunningham, who would need to be activated to the 53-player roster on Saturday, had more than 3,000 rushing yards in college as a dual-threat quarterback. The team experimented with him as a receiver in training camp and in the preseason. The rookie could get a handful of snaps at various positions against the Raiders as the banged-up Pats look for any kind of offensive spark. Boston.com’s Colin McCarthy suggested Cunningham could also be deployed on special teams and defense.

Fellow quarterback Malik Cunningham was also signed to the team’s practice squad. Zappe was a surprise cut by the Pats as they moved down to their final roster. He cleared waivers and was back at practice in New England as a practice squad player the next day. Still, the Patriots are going to need a backup quarterback before Week 1. Expect them to bring in a veteran in the coming days.