By signing Malik Cunningham off the practice squad of the New England Patriots on Wednesday, the Baltimore Ravens formally increased the depth of their quarterback corps.
After the 2023 NFL Draft, Cunningham signed a free agent contract with the Patriots. After missing out on the Patriots’ first 53-man roster, Cunningham was cut by the team on August 29. However, he was back with the team the next day, joining their practice squad.
With just four offensive snaps overall, the former Louisville star ended up spending the majority of his time with the Patriots on their practice squad.
Cunningham is currently Baltimore’s fourth quarterback on the field. In addition to giving Cunningham practice reps at quarterback, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh also intends to use him at a few other positions.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Harbaugh stated, “From a quarterback perspective, it’s a future type of a move, I think Eric [DeCosta] would describe it as that.” He will therefore practice. He was out there today practicing at quarterback earlier in the practice session. He will also work at wide receiver and on special teams, in addition to the things he was already doing in New England.
As Harbaugh mentioned, Baltimore considered the upcoming offseason when deciding to bring in Cunningham. This season, Jackson’s backups have been Josh Johnson and Tyler Huntley, who will both become free agents in March.
Cunningham could play wide receiver, as he demonstrated on his runs at Louisville and with the New England practice squad, but the Ravens only see him as a quarterback.
Without a doubt, he is a quarterback, according to Harbaugh. “His goal is to play quarterback and advance as a quarterback; that was sort of the plan for the future. That presents a chance. I believe that searching for opportunities is a must for general managers, and Eric is the best at it. That’s one aspect of it, and he does that.
“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.”
Wednesday was Cunningham’s first day of work for the Ravens. He participated in every minute of the team’s opening practice of the week.
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