Patriots elevate versatile rookie from practice squad
The New England Patriots are elevating just one player off their practice squad for Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. With that one player though, they have a chance to fill multiple roles.
On Saturday afternoon, the team announced the elevation of rookie quarterback/wide receiver Malik Cunningham. Sunday will be the second game Cunningham dresses for this year – he was signed to the active roster for the Week 6 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, played six snaps, and was cut a few days later.
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Cunningham played both wide receiver and quarterback in that game. Four of his snaps came at wide receiver, while the other two were designed runs for him taking the snap in the backfield.
The Patriots may need Cunningham, a UDFA quarterback from Louisville who has spent most of his time with the Patriots working as a wide receiver, to play both roles on Sunday. Bailey Zappe is expected to start, but it’s unknown if Mac Jones will dress as the backup or be a healthy scratch. If he is, Cunningham would be the backup quarterback (the Patriots can’t use an ’emergency third quarterback’ with one QB being a practice squad elevation).
At the same time the Patriots are shorthanded at wide receiver, with rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte both already ruled out with injuries. The team has just four healthy receivers on the active roster – DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, and Jalen Reagor.
Will Cunningham see more snaps this week than he did against Las Vegas a month and a half ago? According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, there are “a package of plays” installed for Cunningham. The rainy forecast could also create more favorable conditions for running the ball.
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What have we learned about Bailey Zappe's week of practice?
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 12: Bailey Zappe #4 of the New England Patriots looks to pass in the fourth quarter during the NFL match between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots at Deutsche Bank Park on November 12, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Callahan had two other notes on Zappe’s week as well. He relayed from sources that “Zappe’s practice performance was similar to past weeks, when Mac outplayed him,” and that there was the “same energy at practice,” an observation Callahan added was “according to sources who wanted new QB [to replace Jones].”
That all seems to point to Zappe struggling during practice this week. Zappe’s practice issues go back to the summer, and he was cut out of training camp before re-signing with the practice squad.
When Jones struggled early in the season, it was reported that part of the reason the team wasn’t making a quarterback change was because Zappe hadn’t done enough in practice to surpass Jones in the eyes of the coaches. Prior to the game against the Raiders in Week 6, which followed two blowouts in which Jones was benched, Callahan wrote that “team sources indicate Jones will start the Patriots’ game at Las Vegas primarily because their other options – a second-year backup they cut six weeks ago [Zappe] and a third-string journeyman [Will Grier] – are unfit.”
Of course, that was a month and a half ago now. However, Belichick’s comments on Friday seem to suggest that Zappe is showing coaches the same level of play now as he was then.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 22: Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
On Friday morning, Belichick was asked to give his assessment of Zappe’s week of practice. “He’s pretty consistent, about what it’s been all year,” Belichick shared. “He’s pretty even-keeled, not a lot of roller coaster with him.”
Some interpreted that ‘roller coaster’ remark as a shot at Jones’ erratic play this year. While that may be true, Belichick is also saying Zappe is performing as well now as he did “all year,” when he couldn’t overtake Jones for the starting job despite that erratic play.
Belichick answered one other question directly about Zappe, when a reporter asked “what positive he has going for him as a player” as he prepares to make his first start of the year.
“He played some last year. There were some times where he was competitive, a little more experience this year. I mean, we talked about that in training camp,” Belichick replied. “There’s growth in players from year one to year two, year two to year three and sometimes year three to year four. So, we have young quarterbacks and I’d say they’re both on a growth pattern.”
Reading the tea leaves, it seems like this is a situation where Jones ‘lost’ the job more so than Zappe ‘won’ it from him by outplaying him. Just one writer’s opinion.
However it happened though, Zappe will get a real chance to show what he can do this week. He’s struggled in his four relief appearances of Jones this year (48.7 completion percentage, no touchdowns, two interceptions) but this is the first time this season he’ll have a true full week of preparation under his belt. Last time he had that – filling in for Jones after an ankle injury last year – he went 2-0 and kicked off Zappe Fever. Now, with a full week to gestate, will The Fever return?
