The Baltimore Ravens bolstered their depth at the quarterback position on Wednesday, as they officially signed Malik Cunningham off the New England Patriots’ practice squad.
Cunningham joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. Cunningham was released by the Patriots on Aug. 29 after he failed to make their initial 53-man roster, but he returned to the organization a mere day later, signing with their practice squad.
The former Louisville standout ended up spending much of his run with the Patriots on their practice squad, as he featured in just six total snaps on offense.
Cunningham is now the fourth quarterback on Baltimore’s 53-man roster. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh not only plans to provide Cunningham with practice reps out at quarterback, but he will also roll him out at a few other positions as well.
"From a quarterback perspective, it’s a future type of a move, I think Eric [DeCosta] would describe it as that," Harbaugh said during a press conference on Wednesday. "So, he will practice. He was out there practicing at quarterback today earlier in practice, but he will also work at wide receiver and work on special teams, too, and things he was doing in New England already, that’s what he’s doing [here], as far as practicing as well."
As Harbaugh touched on, Baltimore’s call to bring in Cunningham was made with a thought on the upcoming offseason. Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson have served as Jackson’s backups this season, and they each will hit free agency in March.
While Cunningham showed during his runs at Louisville and in New England’s practice squad that he could play the wide receiver position, the Ravens solely view him as a quarterback.
"He’s a quarterback, there’s no doubt about that," Harbaugh said. “He’s here to play quarterback and develop as a quarterback, and that was kind of the future move down the road. That’s an opportunity. I think when you’re a general manager, you have to look for all those opportunities, and Eric is the best. He does that, and that’s part of it.
"In the meantime, [Malik] is talented enough and willing enough to help any way he can, so that’s kind of how you see it."
Cunningham’s first day in the Ravens organization came on Wednesday. He took part in the entirety of the team’s first practice session of the week.
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