Dan Shaughnessy, a well-known Boston columnist, posted a tweet on Saturday that would end up being quite the crazy move from Bill Belichick. At this point, the New England Patriots should be willing to try anything. Their scoring offense ranks 32nd in the NFL, as the offense is putting up just 11 points per game, and the defense hasn't played that well either.
It's been a bad stretch for the Patriots to begin the 2023 NFL season, and it's clear that this team needs a serious look in the mirror. A full rebuild is truly the only way forward for this franchise, and I'd hope that they are already thinking about being significant sellers at the trade deadline.
Anyway, Boston sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy tweeted something a bit interesting on Saturday about Malik Cunningham, the Patriots QB/WR and someone who is apparently part of the gameplan for Week 6. Here's what Shaughnessy tweeted about Cunningham:
Does anyone else think Belichick will surprise us tomorrow and play Malik Cunningham at quarterback?
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 14, 2023
And Jeff Howe confirmed that Malik Cunningham would be a part of the gameplan in Week 6 right here:
Here’s a fun one: QB/WR Malik Cunningham has been part of the Patriots’ game plan this week against the Raiders.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) October 13, 2023
But there’s a caveat. With seven players already ruled out and 10 more listed as questionable, they may need to use his promotion/activation elsewhere. TBD.
Would it truly surprise anyone to see Bill Belichick make this move? I mean, Mac Jones does not bring anything special to the table; neither does Bailey Zappe, and I don't think either QB is going to be on the team this year. Cunningham may not be a QB at the NFL level, but it's clear that he is a more explosive player than pretty much anyone else on the Patriots' offense.
Malik Cunningham surely is not going to start the game; we know that for a fact. However, with Cunningham being a part of the gameplan, that does kind of sound like the offense plans on using him for certain packages, perhaps. Maybe they'll plug him in when the team hits the redzone... if they can even drive down that far.
Maybe Malik Cunningham would get some run at wide receiver considering that unit is banged up already. The slight advantage the Patriots have with Cunningham is that he could be deployed in different ways; so the Las Vegas Raiders' defense would surely have to be on their toes when and if he touches the field on Sunday.