Malik Cunningham may have been on the New England Patriots' practice squad, but the reaction to the Baltimore Ravens signing him away on Tuesday shows he's no ordinary player.
Perhaps the most visceral reaction, at least from within the Patriots organization, came from offensive tackle Trent Brown. The 30-year-old lineman congratulated Cunningham on getting a new opportunity, but also seemed very unhappy with the team for letting him go.
#Patriots OT Trent Brown on the #Ravens signing Malik Cunningham:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 12, 2023
"Go flourish where your talent is respected" pic.twitter.com/SXshzq7ObK
"Go flourish where your talent is respected," Brown wrote on an Instagram story.
Cunningham, an undrafted rookie out of Louisville, showed enough flashes during the preseason to stick around for quite a while. He was active multiple times during the regular season, but the Patriots never turned to him even when Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe were struggling. With him remaining on the practice squad any team was available to sign him to the active roster, just like the Ravens did on Tuesday.
Although his time with the Patriots was brief, Cunningham took the time to show his appreciation for everyone who helped make his NFL dreams a reality.
"I wanted to thank Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick for giving me opportunity to play with the Patriots," Cunningham said in a statement to ESPN. "I learned a lot from them.
"I want to be a coach one day, so I would take notes from Coach Belichick because he's one of the greatest of all time. I had great teammates in New England and built relationships that will last a lifetime. But I just feel like this is a good opportunity for me and I'm excited to be a Baltimore Raven."
As Cunningham heads to Baltimore, where he'll reunite with former Louisville teammate Lamar Jackson, it's hard not to wonder if the Patriots made a mistake by letting him walk.
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