Will Malik Cunningham make the Patriots roster?

FOXBORO -- The Patriots have a lot of roster decisions to make ahead of 4 p.m. Tuesday. But one particular decision is a lot more fascinating than others: What will the Patriots do with Malik Cunningham?

The undrafted quarterback out of Louisville busted his backside to make the transition from QB to wide receiver throughout training camp, and earned rave reviews from the New England coaching staff throughout the process. Then he came in at the end of the Patriots first preseason game and dazzled at quarterback, leading the team on its only touchdown drive on an exciting 9-yard touchdown run.

Cunningham, however, did very little in his preseason action the rest of the way. He went without a catch on five targets in the season preseason game in Green Bay, and then had just one catch on four targets in Friday's preseason finale in Tennessee. That lone reception lost a yard for New England.

Cunningham also got limited snaps at quarterback on Friday, but was 0-for-2 in his passing attempts. He ran for five yards on his lone carry, and was also sacked as the Patriots turned it over on downs on their final possession of the contest.

Overall for the preseason, Cunningham completed three of his six passes for 19 yards, rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown on six carries, and caught just one of the nine passes that went his way. He also put in work as a kick returner during camp, so we'll see if it's enough to make New England's 53-man roster come Tuesday afternoon.

"Malik is a really interesting player," Bill Belichick said of Cunningham during his Monday morning chat with reporters. "Kid never played receiver before or returned kicks, and he's done both. As well as playing quarterback. He certainly has some things on his resume. So do other players. We'll see how all that plays out."

With the Patriots dealing with a handful of injuries along the offensive line, they probably can't effort a roster spot for Cunningham at the moment.   

He clearly didn't do enough this summer to earn a spot in a crowded New England receivers room, with sixth-round picks Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte both breaking out at that position.

But Cunningham remains an intriguing player because of his ability to do a lot of different things at different positions, mainly at quarterback. Though the Pats didn't seem very interested in having him play meaningful minutes at quarterback, he could give New England a mobile threat at the position, something Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, and Trace McSorley wouldn't provide. That may give Cunningham the edge over someone like McSorley.

If the Patriots do want to use Cunningham as a gadget-play threat, he would have to be included in the 48 players the team dresses on game day. If he's New England's emergency quarterback, Cunningham wouldn't be allowed to play unless both quarterbacks ahead of him are injured. But again, with the team dealing with such a thin offensive line, that roster spot will likely go to someone who protects quarterbacks, not someone who might play quarterback in a pinch.

There is a good chance that Cunningham doesn't make the roster, in the hopes that he clears waivers and the Patriots can add him to the practice squad. Another team could claim him in that process, but Cunningham did go undrafted, so the 31 other teams had a chance to draft or sign him before the Patriots gave him $200,000 in guaranteed money as an UDFA.

It will be fascinating to see how the Patriots handle Cunningham ahead of Tuesday's roster deadline. He could be the player to push Belichick's streak of having an undrafted player on the roster to 20 years, or the team could cut him in hopes of signing him to the practice squad. Whatever happens, Cunningham did a whole lot of everything to make his strongest case to make the New England roster.