Malik Cunningham got some run at QB during Sunday's Patriots practice
FOXBORO -- Malik Cunningham was one of the few exciting wrinkles to an otherwise boring Patriots preseason opener last Thursday night. After spending much of his training camp converting to wide receiver, the Pats let Cunningham play some quarterback late in the game, and the rookie did not disappoint.
Cunningham scored New England's only touchdown in a 20-9 exhibition loss to the Houston Texans, scampering in from nine yards out in the game's final minutes. He ran for 34 yards on the ground on his lone drive under center, and also completed three of his four passes for 19 yards.
It gave Patriots fans that stuck it out at Gillette Stadium something to cheer about -- and the Patriots something to think about the rest of camp.
While Cunningham has been impressive as he transitions to receiver, it's also clear that he could be a potential situational weapon at QB. Many questioned if he has what it takes at the most important position on the field in the NFL when he went undrafted out of Louisville, but his performance last Thursday has the Patriots at least curious to see if Cunningham can cut it at the next level.
On Sunday, Cunningham got a handful of snaps at quarterback during New England's practice session behind Gillette. He did so to start the team's 11-on-11 period, lining up with offensive starters DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and center David Andrews.
Cunningham was not sporting a red no-contact jersey during the practice, though it was not a padded practice for New England. Still, he lined up with starters, even after a lightning delay put practice on pause. It's clear the Patriots want to give him another look -- and opportunity -- at quarterback.
Cunningham took snaps in shotgun and kept a few keepers, but did not throw a pass. Then Mac Jones came in and took over at QB.
But the Patriots are at least interested in potentially adding a few Cunningham-at-quarterback wrinkles into the offense. He still did work at wide receiver and also returned a kickoff for the first time in camp, so the Pats are really looking to maximize anything and everything they can get out of the rookie.
That will certainly work in his favor when it comes time to make roster decisions. And his play both on Thursday and on the practice field has a lot of players excited about what he could potentially do for the team.
"That dude is electric," Smith-Schuster said after Sunday's practice. "When the football is in his hands as a quarterback, he's very dangerous, as you could see this past Thursday night. He's a guy who's been doing it in college, so I guess it's like second nature to him. He's still trying to work on that receiver side, which he's come a long way from where he started in OTAs to where we're at now."
"It was great seeing him out there playing quarterback [on Thursday]," veteran safety Adrian Phillips said of Cunningham. "He threw a dot to the back of the end zone. Unfortunately, it wasn't caught, but he's a baller. You put him anywhere on the field, and he's going to ball. You could probably put him at running back and he'd make something happen."
"Seeing him in practice, it definitely adds another wrinkle to the offense that I love to see," added Phillips, who said that practicing against a dual-threat QB like Cunningham will only help the New England defense.
Make no mistake, this is still Mac Jones' offense. But Cunningham was an intriguing addition this offseason with a lot of upside, and the Patriots are doing everything they can to explore his ceiling this summer.
