There's a Weird Buzz Around the Patriots After the Decision to Let Malik Cunningham Go. And it Could Be an Alarm Going Off.

Omar Rawlings. Getty Images.

I have to confess that when it was announced that the Ravens had signed Malik Cunningham off the Patriots practice squad, I didn't think much of it. For sure he was an intriguing signing after he went undrafted. And there was the potential for Bill O'Brien to find ways to make use of a versatile hybrid talent like him:

But that was mid-August. I assumed a lot of talent evaluation has gone on in the four months since, and Cunningham was found lacking. And in general, it takes a lot for an UDFA who's played exactly six snaps all season, all in the game at Las Vegas in Week 6, lined up three times at quarterback and three at wide receiver, and only made the stat line by taking a sack, to move the needle for me. After all, it's not as if there hasn't been a need to improve the QB situation on this team. And Cunningham didn't seem to be showing enough potential to justify getting a shot. So I just sort of shrugged it off as GM Bill taking a flyer on a guy that HC Bill couldn't find a use for, despite a 3-year, $2.7 million rookie free agent deal.  

Which both Bills pretty much confirmed:

Why this story achieves my exacting, rigorous standards of Blogworthiness is the reaction of other Patriots players. Veteran players get released every day in the NFL, and invariably the only thing you hear is some variation on "This is the business we're in" or something. Malik Cunningham's former teammates sound more like they've lost the heart and soul of multiple championship teams, not some easily replaceable roster bubble guy:

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This one in particular set off the car alarm in my head:

For the record, that's Bailey Zappe, Trent Brown, Mack Wilson, Sr. Davon Godchaux, and Deatrich Wise, Jr. The default QB1, starting left tackle and three defensive players. That's a fairly representative cross section of the team. And it's not like they just signed the "Good Luck on Your Next Endeavor" Hallmark card that was getting passed around the office. The messages are all about love and respect and talent and getting an opportunity. 

And were they talking about some established veteran who's been through the wars with them, fought alongside them, played through injuries and made big time, game-winning plays, this would be the most natural reaction in the world. I don't need to point out that Cunningham has done none of these things. And to be fair, he hasn't been given his shot to. 

And I can't help but think therein lies the rub for the guys who are lavishing all this praise and all these Best Wishes upon him. It's hard to read these posts and think they're just being nice to the new guy who everyone liked but who just didn't work out for whatever reasons. I'm not prone to thinking in worst case scenarios or stirring up shit. But these read like Cunningham's teammates think he deserved better. Or was done dirty. For sure it sounds like Brown wanted him to get a real shot at doing some real quarterbacking. I just don't know how else to process it.

By no means would this be the first time Belichick created a negative reaction in his locker room by giving up on a popular player. Hell, he's made a career out of it. Such men are in poured into the concrete of the foundation of the castle he's built in Foxboro. Some of them are not only in the team's Hall of Fame (Mike Vrabel, Vince Wilfork), but in the Pro Football Hall (Ty Law, Richard Seymour). The difference being that when he made these unpopular personnel moves, he was at the height of his power. Cunningham might be considered a relative nobody who's contributed nothing around here. But the lord of the manor here has never been in a worse position. So you can't help but wonder if this is a look into how he's being percieved by a portion of his roster. 

If that's the case, at least we can say Malik Cunningham did make a contribution to the 2023 Pats. Just not the one I was hoping for over the summer.