Malik Cunningham Stunner: Bill Belichick Patriots Strike UDFA Gold Again?
The New England Patriots lost their first exhibition game of the preseason on Thursday night 20-9. Take the loss for what it's worth, as it's the preseason, after all, and more important than winning is player evaluation.
And while the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick have excelled in the past when it comes to evaluating possible role players and stars on the New England roster, they might've hit the proverbial free agent grand slam this season.
As soon as free agency opened, Belichick signed former Louisville Cardinals quarterback Malik Cunningham. How badly did they want Cunningham? He was paid the largest UDFA guaranteed money in franchise history, $200,000.
Undrafted free agents are no strangers to the Patriots roster. They range from Super Bowl winner, Malcolm Butler, to cornerback starters J.C. Jackson and Jonathan Jones, to long-time starting center - as Michael DeVito at Fansided's "Musket Fire'' calls him, the "Rock of Gibraltar'' - David Andrews.
On Thursday night, a lackluster performance by the backup offensive line doomed quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Trace McSorley to failure. And that opened the door for Cunningham to enter the game in the fourth quarter and impress.
Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien knows a few things about coaching and developing dual-threat quarterbacks, especially in the NFL. And the combination of O'Brien and Cunningham electrified the home crowd at Gillette Stadium Thursday night in an otherwise yawn-inducing performance on the field.
Cunningham registered just three completions on four attempts for 19 yards, but he also moved the ball on the ground with 34 yards on five carries and a touchdown. But more importantly, he looked good doing it. Poise and confidence are two things an undrafted free-agent quarterback rarely displays in his first-ever NFL action, regardless of importance.
New England may have struck gold with Cunningham, and we should expect to see him featured more as the preseason moves on. Belichick likes to know what he's working with, and he might want to see more of Cunningham before the regular season kicks off on Sept. 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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