Malik Cunningham was a quarterback at Louisville, but when he signed with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie this year, he was told he’d need to prove he can play wide receiver to make the roster. Then Cunningham looked surprisingly good when given some snaps at quarterback, and he’s been practicing at both positions this season.
Cunningham has barely played this season at either position, but he’s confident he can help out if called upon.
“Yeah, I’m very confident in my game,” Cunningham said, via MassLive.com. “I feel like my teammates are confident in me, too. I’m confident in those guys. We’re all just coming together and trying to get this win this weekend.”
Cunningham says he’s learning simultaneously to be more of a pro-style passer than he was in college, and to play wide receiver, which he hasn’t done before.
“For sure, just picking up the offense, learning the ins and outs. At quarterback, you never close yourself off,” Cunningham said. “You’ve got to be willing to learn each and every day. Just trying to get better at that along with the receiver stuff.”
Given how bad the Patriots’ offense has been this season, and how much talent Cunningham has, it’s surprising that Bill Belichick hasn’t put Cunningham on the field. Perhaps Sunday against the Chargers will be Cunningham’s coming out party.
