Amid calls to make a change at quarterback, the New England Patriots have made a surprise move at the position.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots promoted rookie QB Malik Cunningham from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and signed him to a three-year deal.
With this move, New England has four quarterbacks on its roster: Starter Mac Jones, second-stringer Bailey Zappe and former Carolina Panther Will Grier. It remains to be seen if Bill Belichick will cut one of those QBs (most likely Grier) to clear space for Cunningham on the depth chart.
The 25-year-old Cunningham played for Louisville from 2017 to 2022. After going undrafted, the Patriots signed Cunningham as a free agent. He was waived in August but subsequently brought back on the practice squad.
Cunningham’s three-year deal is a strong indicator that Belichick has plenty of confidence in him now. You simply don’t sign a third or fourth-string QB to a multi-year deal if you don’t view them as a long-term part of the roster.
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Jones has been benched in the Patriots’ last two games, both blowout losses, in favor of Zappe. Could another bad outing lead to Belichick starting Zappe or Cunningham over Jones? We’ll soon find out.
The Patriots visit the Las Vegas Raiders, coached by Belichick’s old offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels, on Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium.
