Malik Cunningham made one of the biggest surprises of the week after he signed with the Baltimore Ravens off the New England Patriots’ practice squad. However, according to head coach Bill Belichick, the team did try to keep him.
Cunningham had been with the Patriots’ practice squad for much of the season. He didn’t really get plenty of chances to play, only receiving one chance during his brief stint on the active roster in October. He played six snaps against the Las Vegas Raiders but did not register any stat, though he was sacked once for a five-yard loss.
However, that didn’t mean the Patriots don’t like him. Cunningham was actually cut during the preseason ahead of roster cutdowns. But Belichick and Co. have seen enough of him to bring him to the practice squad and see how they can utilize him.
Now, after losing Cunningham to the Ravens, Belichick was asked if they tried to keep Cunningham amid the Ravens’ pursuit. The veteran coach said yes and went on to explain why the undrafted rookie quarterback out of Louisville still chose to leave anyway.
“Yeah, but I think they sold him on the opportunity of the offense. He and Lamar. Certainly their offense suits Malik better than probably any other offense in the league does. It makes sense – as a quarterback,” Belichick said, per Mark Daniels of MassLive.
It’s certainly a waste to see Malik Cunningham leave, but considering that the New England Patriots are out of playoff contention, it’s hard to blame the youngster for choosing a winning situation where he could be utilized as well.
New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick Getting Fired Soon?
While Malik Cunningham is gone from the New England Patriots, he might not be the only one going out of the franchise.
A recent bombshell report claimed that the Patriots have long made a decision to fire the legendary coach Bill Belichick amid the team’s disappointing 2023 campaign.
Patriots insider Tom Curran went on NBC Sports Boston’s “Arbella Early Edition” and made the revelation, saying: “When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision was made. They were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year there would be a parting of the ways, for a variety of reasons.”
It will be interesting to see what the Patriots do with their head coach, though by the looks of it, plenty of changes are going to happen for the franchise that hasn’t been successful since Tom Brady’s departure.
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