The Ravens have signed quarterback Malik Cunningham off the Patriots’ practice squad, adding a fourth quarterback to the 53-man roster.
Cunningham and Lamar Jackson were teammates at Louisville in 2017, during Jackson’s final college season when Cunningham was a true freshman.
Cunningham thanked Patriots Owner Robert Kraft and Head Coach Bill Belichick for his time with New England.
“I wanted to thank Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick for giving me opportunity to play with the Patriots,” Cunningham told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “I learned a lot from them. I want to be a coach one day, so I would take notes from coach 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 just feel like this is a good opportunity for me and I’m excited to be a Baltimore Raven.”
The 25-year-old Cunningham signed with the Patriots after being undrafted in April and has spent most of the season on the practice squad. He was elevated to New England’s active roster the past two games but did not see any snaps at quarterback.
The Patriots had him practicing at wide receiver and quarterback over the summer. Like Jackson, Cunningham is a super-athletic quarterback who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at the Combine.
During his college career at Louisville, Cunningham completed 691 of 1,104 passes for 9,660 yards and 70 touchdowns and was a four-year starter. He also rushed for 3,170 yards and 50 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Now Cunningham will have the chance to develop in Baltimore behind Jackson and veterans Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson. Huntley is not under contract for next season and Johnson is on a one-year deal, meaning Cunningham could compete for the No. 2 quarterback job next summer. Patriots players showed their respect and appreciation of Cunningham when they got news that he was headed to Baltimore.
