The New England Patriots have moved quarterback Malik Cunningham from their practice squad to their roster, which could indicate a big change is imminent.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday the Patriots have also signed Cunningham to a three-year contract. These moves do not necessarily indicate the Patriots are pulling the plug on embattled starting QB Mac Jones, but they are what you would expect to see if a change were a strong possibility … or already planned.
Jones has been under fire in recent weeks. He’s completed barely 50 percent of his passes in the past three games, with four interceptions and one touchdown. Three of his turnovers have been returned for touchdowns. There’s been plenty of talk this week about Pats coaches and players having lost faith in the third-year quarterback.
Jones is slated to start Sunday’s game at the Las Vegas Raiders, but he will undoubtedly have a short leash given his recent problems. Bailey Zappe would get the nod as the backup. Will Grier is third on the depth chart.
Cunningham would add another option in case of an issue with Zappe and/or Grier.
A former Louisville star who broke or threatened many of Lamar Jackson’s records there, Cunningham went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. He signed with the Patriots as a free agent after the draft, was waived during the preseason, then re-signed to the practice squad. Cunningham can also play wide receiver, which means the roster spot is not entirely wasted on QB depth.
NFL fans universally viewed Cunningham’s status change as a bad omen for Jones.
How do you go from the practice squad to three-year deal out of no where LMAO
— Charlie Quinn (@CharlieQuinnMMA) October 14, 2023
Louisville Legend ‼️‼️‼️
Mac Jones is finished. 😈 https://t.co/Yffek5tfCN pic.twitter.com/faMGhyOTJb
— | 𝕊𝕒𝕕 ℝ𝕖𝕚 😭 | (@EvillRei) October 14, 2023
Mac Jones watching the Patriots move Malik Cunningham to their active roster: pic.twitter.com/La9QHkgm5S
— BrycenNFL 👑 (@BrycenNFL) October 14, 2023
That doesn’t explain why he got a three year deal after not even making the roster for the first five weeks
— Wagner (@TheGerman21) October 14, 2023
The team plans to use Cunningham at QB/WR and possibly more positions during a game. This could get wild 😂
— NFL Notifications (@NFLNotify) October 14, 2023
And a three-year deal per multiple sources. Big change.
— Feyer (@jamn232000) October 14, 2023
PATRIOTS ARE FINISHED THEY GOT A WR PLAYING QB 1 😭😭😭😭
— Travis (@Travistoogood) October 14, 2023
Maybe it could be because the coaches see the players practice every single day.
— Flipping_Genius (@gamma8Flip) October 14, 2023
