RAVENS SIGN ROOKIE UDFA QB MALIK CUNNINGHAM FROM THE PATRIOTS PRACTICE SQUAD, S KYLE HAMILTON CONSIDERED DAY-TO-DAY
The Baltimore Ravens have signed rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham from the New England Patriots’ practice squad onto their 53-man roster, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
Cunningham, who was on the same team with Ravens starting quarterback Lamar Jackson in 2017 as a redshirt freshman in Louisville, now reunites with one of his favorite teammates in Charm City. At 25 years old Cunningham was one of the many undrafted rookie quarterbacks to enter the league this year. The six-year college quarterback is also one of the highest paid undrafted rookie free agents in NFL history.
The Patriots made headlines in October when it was reported that they had signed Cunningham to the biggest undrafted free agent contract in team history back in late April, as per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Cunningham was one of the first undrafted signings the Monday after the NFL draft, on April 30th, and quickly agreed to a three-year, $2.725 million deal with the New England Patriots, which included up to $200,000 in total guarantees and a significant $30,000 signing bonus, according to multiple reports. The former Music City Bowl MVP earns an annual average salary of $908,833 according to Spotrac.
News of Cunningham’s change of scenery was welcomed by New England Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown, who went on Instagram to comment, saying, “Go flourish where your talent is respected, little brother for life!”
As per The Athletics’ Jeff Zrebiec, the Ravens liked Cunningham during the draft and tried to sign him as an undrafted free agent in April, but he ended up in New England. Now more than 6 months later, Baltimore acquires their quarterback target anyway.
“I wanted to thank [owner] Mr. [Robert] Kraft and Coach [Bill] Belichick for giving me [the] opportunity to play with the Patriots,” the Alabama-born quarterback told ESPN on Tuesday, “I want to be a coach one day, so I would take notes from Belichick because he’s one of the greatest of all time.”
“I had great teammates in New England and built relationships that will last a lifetime. But I feel like this is a good opportunity for me and I’m more excited to be a Baltimore Raven.”
Cunningham will now add to the NFL’s first ever all-black quarterback room that not only includes Lamar Jackson, fourth-year QB Tyler “Snoop” Huntley, veteran Josh Johnson but also black quarterback coaches Tee Martin and his assistant Kerry Dixon.
The new quarterback acquisition now raises more than a few short-term questions for the Ravens, who have had all three of their quarterbacks on the 53-man roster this year. The arrival of Cunningham, whose playing style is similar to that of Jackson and backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, might mean that one of the two incumbent quarterbacks behind Jackson is expected to go on waivers.
Both Huntley and Johnson will be unrestricted free agents in the spring and the dual threat quarterback’s signing after Week 14 should at least give Cunningham a head start at being the backup quarterback in 2024. It remains to be seen what the Ravens will do with all their quarterbacks, but it’s a curious time to be a Baltimore Raven with all the success the team is having this year.
In related news, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh revealed to the media on Monday that standout second-year safety Kyle Hamilton is considered day to day on a knee injury he suffered on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. Hamilton has been a key piece of the Ravens defense this year, which leads the league in sacks with 49, and ranks top two in almost every category, including points allowed per game (16.8) and total yards allowed (284.4).
Bleacher Report’s Andrew Schultz reported on Monday that Hamilton had suffered a grade 1 MCL sprain and isn’t expected to miss too much time. The former Notre Dame Irish still has a chance to play on Sunday Night Football against the Jacksonville Jaguars in what should be one of the games of the weekend with both teams aiming to clinch the no.1 seed in the AFC.
The Ravens are confirmed to be without All-Pro returner Devin Duvernay for their bout in Jacksonville on Sunday, however, as the 26-year-old was placed on Injured Reserve after suffering a back injury this past weekend against the Rams. Duvernay will not require a medical procedure and should be good for the postseason in a few weeks. The Ravens’ two-time Pro Bowl kick returner’s spot on the 53-man roster was filled by Cunningham on Tuesday.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Maryland GovPics. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.