The Patriots could use some help on offense and one player who might get a shot at providing it is rookie Malik Cunningham.
Cunningham impressed at times while playing quarterback during the preseason, but wound up on the practice squad rather than the 53-man roster when the regular season got underway. He has remained there, but comments from offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and head coach Bill Belichick this week suggest that could change.
O’Brien said Cunningham has been seeing most of his time at wide receiver in practices, but did get some work at quarterback to help the team prepare for Saints tight end/quarterback Taysom Hill last week. O’Brien called Cunningham one of the team’s most improved players and Belichick concurred on Friday while saying Cunningham is “definitely trending towards” getting a chance to see game action.
“Anybody who keeps improving is eventually probably going to get an opportunity to play,” Belichick said.
One player isn’t going to change the Patriots’ fortunes by himself, but any improvement on what the team has done over the past couple of weeks would be a welcome development in New England.
