Bill Belichick explains why Ravens appealed to Malik Cunningham

BOSTON -- Practice squads are useful ways for NFL teams to keep players nearby who can contribute on Sundays without having them take up a spot on the active. See the Cleveland Browns and Joe Flacco for evidence of how impactful those players can be.

Of course, keeping a player on the practice squad carries with it plenty of risk. Namely, any NFL team can steal that player away simply by signing the player to an active roster. On Tuesday, the Patriots were reminded of that reality when Malik Cunningham was signed away by the Baltimore Ravens.

A quarterback in college, Cunningham signed with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie to play wide receiver. He also was given duties in punt coverage on the practice fields during training camp. Though he only got to play six total snaps in the Patriots' 13 games, he made a strong impression among his teammates with his attitude and work ethic.

On Wednesday, Bill Belichick was asked if he and the Patriots' front office made an attempt to keep Cunningham when the Ravens made their offer to the rookie.

"Yeah, but I think they had a -- you know, they sold him on the opportunity, the offense, he and Lamar [Jackson]," Belichick answered. "Certainly, their offense suits Malik better than probably any other offense in the league does. Does that makes sense?"

Belichick then clarified that he meant that last point with Cunningham as a quarterback, not as a receiver (or gunner on punt team).

Cunningham's collegiate career came after Lamar Jackson left Louisville as a first-round pick in 2018. Over the course of five collegiate seasons, Cunningham completed 62.6 percent of his 1,105 passes for 9,664 yards with 70 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. He also rushed for 3,182 yards and 50 touchdowns, sharing the all-time school rushing touchdown record with Jackson. Cunningham also ranks fourth in Lousiville history in passing yards and fifth in passing touchdowns.

Despite the productive collegiate career, Cunningham was not one of the 14 quarterbacks taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he ended up signing with the Patriots, getting $200,000 in guaranteed money, which is a franchise record for the Patriots and an undrafted free agent.

Cunningham popped in the Patriots' preseason opener, completing three of his four passes for 19 yards (with the incompletion being a dropped touchdown) while rushing five times for 34 yards and a touchdown against the Texans. The next week, he only played receiver, where he caught zero passes on five targets. He took a handful of snaps at quarterback in the preseason finale but was 0-for-2 with just one five-yard rush.

Cunningham -- along with Bailey Zappe -- was released at the end of training camp but signed with the Patriots' practice squad. He was signed to the active roster before the Patriots' game in Las Vegas, but he took just six snaps and took a sack in one of his only plays at quarterback.

Now, Cunningham is moving on to an offense that, according to Belichick, might suit him better than any other in the league.