LAS VEGAS — Undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham was the Patriots’ backup quarterback in Sunday’s loss to the Raiders, however it actually didn’t look that means earlier than the sport.
Cunningham first spent pregame warmups with kick returners catching kicks. Then he labored with large receivers working routes. Then he caught warmup tosses from quarterback Mac Jones earlier than handing the soccer again to emergency quarterback Bailey Zappe to throw again throughout the sector. And then when the total crew convened, Jones was the one quarterback to work underneath middle whereas Cunningham repped at large receiver. Cunningham did play catch with teammates earlier in warmups.
“I was already loosening in here,” Cunningham stated within the locker room after the sport. “They wanted to just keep it as low-key as possible, but once we went out there as a team, I warmed up a little bit.”
Cunningham stated he was warming up within the halls. He paused when requested who he was throwing to.
“No, I really was just getting my shoulder worked on. So when I went outside, I was just catching a little bit and throwing a little bit,” he stated.
Cunningham stated he knew he could be signed off of the 53-man roster to again up Mac Jones on Tuesday in apply.
“I was just humbled,” Cunningham stated. “I knew I had put the work in on the show teams and eventually that the time would happen if I just put my head down and worked.”
Head coach Bill Belichick stated Cunningham was signed and made the Patriots’ backup quarterback as a result of “we had a lot of guys that were hurt.”
Bailey Zappe, the Patriots’ regular backup quarterback, served because the emergency third quarterback on Sunday. He may have solely entered Sunday’s recreation if Jones and Cunningham obtained harm. Regular third QB Will Grier was inactive. Neither Zappe nor Grier had been on the damage report. The Patriots had been down two large receivers and two offensive linemen with accidents.
Cunningham performed a handful of snaps at quarterback and large receiver on Sunday however didn’t document any snaps. He was sacked on his solely dropback, an choice go. He stated he additionally labored on particular groups through the week.
He didn’t spend extra time within the quarterback room, nonetheless.
“No, not really,” he stated. “We all met together this week.”
He did say the week was “definitely different,” nonetheless.
“It was a lot thrown at me, but it wasn’t nothing that I couldn’t handle. So, I feel like I approached it well. We just gotta go back to work tomorrow.”
It’s uncommon for a participant to function a backup quarterback and place participant. And it’s lots to placed on a rookie’s plate. Belichick wouldn’t verify is Cunningham could be the crew’s backup quarterback sooner or later.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve been working at receiver. I do a little bit at quarterback. And then this week we did more — I did more quarterback stuff but still doing special teams and receiver, so it’s kind of like balancing it.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com