Patriots add Malik Cunningham to 53-man roster
Malik Cunningham, the athletic backup quarterback who showed promise in the preseason, has been signed to the Patriots' 53-player roster.
Cunningham is on the permanent roster and not just being elevated from the practice squad for Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Putting Cunningham on the active roster shows that Patriots coach Bill Belichick meant it when he said Cunningham was going to get a chance to play.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Patriots use Cunningham the same way the Saints use Taysom Hill, with Cunningham getting some snaps as a runner, some as a receiver and some as a passer.
The Patriots' offense has been a disaster the last couple weeks, and Belichick has suffered the two worst losses of his career, 38-3 to the Cowboys and 34-0 to the Saints. Belichick is desperate to see his offense make some plays, and Cunningham has the talent to be a playmaker.
The Patriots also elevated wide receiver Jalen Reagor to the active roster, activated wide receiver Tyquan Thornton from injured reserve and placed linebacker Matthew Judon on injured reserve.
