With four weeks remaining in the regular season, injuries appear to be the only thing stopping the Ravens (10-3), who lead the AFC as the top seed. That is why, with the playoffs quickly approaching, their most recent addition makes far too much sense.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Baltimore added quarterback Malik Cunningham, an undrafted rookie in 2023, to its 53-man roster on Tuesday after he was cut from the Patriots practice squad. Lamar Jackson, who the rookie quarterback played with for one season as a team at Louisville in 2017, is back together.
The Ravens made a wise decision in making this move after Jackson’s late-season sprained PCL prevented him from playing again in the postseason the previous year.
While the team undoubtedly hopes to avoid injuries this time around, Cunningham offers the group a compelling backup plan in the event that Jackson is hurt once more.
Cunningham may not even be the next man up if Jackson gets hurt because he is on the roster alongside quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson. However, Baltimore has experience with Louisville quarterbacks who are double-threats.
From 2018 to 22, the 25-year-old quarterback passed for 9,664 yards, 70 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions. In addition, he ran for 3,182 yards and 50 touchdowns.
It’s evident that his former New England teammates think highly of him; one of them posted on Instagram, “go flourish where your talent is respected.”
And who could be a better role model for Cunningham than Jackson, whom he has probably observed while crafting his play?
Of course, the hope is that Cunningham does not play for the Ravens this season. It might not be the worst thing in the world, though, if he does have to fill in for a game or two.
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