The New England Patriots took a step back in the 2022 season, missing the playoffs entirely after sneaking in as a wild card team in 2021. That set the spotlight on them this offseason, as it became clear very quickly that they had a lot of work to do if they wanted to improve. With free agency and the draft now in the rearview mirror, it's clear that New England is turning over a new leaf in 2023.
The Pats had some big holes on their roster entering the offseason, and while they haven't necessarily gone out of their way to thoroughly fill each of those areas of need, they have addressed each of the weak spots of their roster in one way or another. While they may not necessarily be a playoff team in 2023, the Patriots should be able to play a better brand of football than they did last season.
With the 2023 NFL Draft officially complete, teams across the league are pretty much done bringing new players onto their rosters. Of course, there are waves of undrafted free agents finding new homes, and there aren't many teams that value these UDFAs more than New England. So with that in mind, let's pick out one such player who will end up cracking New England's roster.
Patriots undrafted free agent that will make team: Malik Cunningham
The Patriots are usually one of the busiest teams on the undrafted free agent market, but so far, they have only brought in three UDFAs in the aftermath of the draft, which makes it a bit more difficult to pick out a player who could stick around on the initial 53-man roster for the 2023 season. However, one name in this group stands out among the rest, and that is Malik Cunningham.
Given all the question marks and rumors surrounding Mac Jones' future with the Patriots this offseason, it was very notable to see New England scoop up Cunningham, a quarterback from Louisville, shortly after the draft. Cunningham is an extremely interesting prospect, and he could end up being a sneaky pick to make New England's initial roster.
Cunningham is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback, which makes his addition to New England even more interesting considering they have employed a more traditional pocket passer for pretty much their entire history. Cunningham is still raw as a passer, but he is a very big threat to run the ball on the ground, which makes him particularly lethal.
Cunningham didn't have a great final season with Louisville as a passer (136/218, 1568 YDS, 8 TD, 5 INT) but he still made a fairly big impact on the ground to help him maintain his value (113 CAR, 560 YDS, 12 TD). Cunningham really tapped into his talent as a runner in 2021, when he picked up 1031 yards on the ground and a whooping 20 rushing touchdowns.
There's almost no chance Cunningham challenges Jones and Bailey Zappe for the starting job this season, but Cunningham has a lot of talent and athletic ability, which makes him a prospect worth keeping an eye on. We have seen what dual-threat quarterbacks are capable of when they get comfortable in the NFL, and Cunningham already appears to be an NFL-caliber playmaker on the ground at the very least.
The quarterback position is always a tough one to gauge when it comes to figuring out how many guys will be kept on the initial roster, but given the question marks surrounding Jones, it makes sense to expect them to hold onto three rather than two to start the season. Jones and Zappe are roster locks, which would put Cunningham in a battle for the final roster spot with Trace McSorley.
When it comes to finding talent in undrafted free agents, you look for traits that could serve as the basis for developing a player into an NFL-caliber talent. Cunningham may never develop as a passer, but he's a threat with the ball in his hands, which could allow the Patriots some flexibility to scheme up some unique plays on offense. It's a stretch, and not inherently likely to happen, but Cunningham has a lot of upside.
Given how strange of an offseason it has been for New England when it comes to their quarterback position, and the potential that Cunningham has, they may not be willing to take a risk by sending him to their practice squad after training camp and risking him getting picked up by another team. Cunningham is easily the most intriguing UDFA the Patriots have picked up to this point, and it looks like he could immediately have a shot to crack their roster.
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