Lamar Jackson approves Ravens' signing of new QB
The Baltimore Ravens have officially signed quarterback Malik Cunningham from the New England Patriots' practice squad, expanding their quarterback roster to four players at the position, the franchise announced on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
Cunningham, a former Louisville player from 2018 to 2022, was announced following the placement of wide receiver and special teams playmaker Devin Duvernay on Injured Reserve.
The former Patriots UDFA also spent the 2017 season as a redshirt freshman in Louisville, thus coinciding with fellow QB Lamar Jackson.
Jackson spoke about the addition of his former Cardinals teammate to the Ravens roster, praising the quarterback/wideout hybrid and labeling him as an "explosive" player capable of making significant plays all across the field.
"Great quarterback," Jackson told media members following Wednesday's practice. "I’ve seen it firsthand when he was a freshman at Louisville. Explosive. Can throw the ball to anyone on the field. Make guys miss. He can do it all."
Jackson, who shares a similar skill set with Cunningham, finished by saying, "The sky is the limit for him."
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh highlighted Cunningham's versatility, noting that he could contribute in various positions as he's done in the past playing at both quarterback and wide receiver.
"He’s a very talented person, so he’ll contribute in every way he can, but we’ll stay with the four quarterbacks," Harbaugh made clear.
The coach added that the decision to sign Cunningham was influenced by the team's interest in him during the pre-draft process earlier in the year and was made simple to pull off following the news of Durvernay's injury and month-long absence.
"From a quarterback perspective, it’s a future type of a move," Harbaugh noted, indicating a long-term plan for Cunningham's development within the team.
That's important considering the Ravens only have Jackson under contract next year at the position, with backups Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson entering free agency next spring.
For this year, however, Cunningham will most probably spend the remainder of the regular season and the postseason getting reps with the practice squad and only be called up if someone else gets injured down the road.