Patriots' Malik Cunningham Wows Ex-Teammate Lamar Jackson
The New England Patriots are looking to jump-start their sluggish offense this season, yet the unit look just as lethargic in Thursday's 20-9 preseason loss to the Houston Texans.
Late in the game, though, the offense had a brief jolt of excitement. Rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham, who spent the first half at receiver, evaded Texans defenders to get into the end zone from nine yards out for the Patriots' lone touchdown of the night. In a game without much offense to speak of, Cunningham's score was the clear highlight for New England.
Cunningham's run got the NFL world talking, and even earned him a special shoutout from another mobile quarterback, Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson.
These two have a far greater relationship than just this one tweet, though. They were actually college teammates with the Louisville Cardinals in 2017, when Cunningham redshirted and Jackson played his final collegiate season.
Once Jackson moved onto the NFL, Cunningham quickly grew to take his place under center. Cunningham wasn't quite as dynamic as Jackson, he never won a Heisman Trophy after all, but he continued the tradition of electric dual-threat quarterbacks at Louisville. His best season came in 2021, when he threw for 2,941 yards and 19 touchdowns while adding another 1,031 yards and 20 touchdowns as a rusher.
Even with his gaudy college stats, Cunningham's viability as an NFL quarterback has been called into question, as evidenced by him playing most of the game as a receiver. However, it's easy to forget that Jackson faced many of these same criticisms when he entered the league. Granted, they weren't as apparent because he was a first-round pick compared to Cunningham as an undrafted free agent, but it goes to show that this style of quarterback play can work in the NFL.
Whether Cunningham pans out at this level remains to be seen, but he offered a brief glimpse of what he can do in his preseason debut.
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