Former Louisville QB Malik Cunningham Making Smooth Transition to Wide Receiver

The Baltimore Ravens converted the former Cardinals signal caller to wide receiver earlier in the offseason.

Dec 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Malik Cunningham (16) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Earlier this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens officially converted quarterback Malik Cunningham to a wide receiver. It appears that the former Louisville signal caller is making a smooth transition to his new position.

Following the conclusion of OTA's and mandatory minicamp for the Ravens, The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiac wrote a stock report detailing which players had made the most strides during the last month of the offseason, and who saw their stock fall. Fortunately, Zrebiac placed Cunningham firmly in the "stock up" category.

"With how noncommittal Ravens officials were for much of the offseason about the former quarterback’s role, it was unclear whether he’d even get the opportunity to compete for a roster spot," Zrebiac wrote. "Cunningham still faces an uphill battle, but he hasn’t looked out of place as he’s transitioned to wide receiver.

"He made a few plays in just about every practice, and he’s shown good awareness and quickness. The amount of one-on-one attention he’s gotten from Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken indicates that they see potential in Cunningham at his new position."

As Zrebiac noted, Cunningham does still face a bit of an uphill battle to land on Baltimore's 53-man roster. As of Friday, the Ravens have 12 wide receivers on their offseason roster. Cunningham does still has plenty of time to earn a spot, as NFL teams don't have to make their final roster cuts until Aug. 29.

The 6-foot-1, 198-pound signal caller was originally picked up by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. He inked a three-year deal with the Patriots last October, but spent most of his time in Foxboro on the practice squad. His alone appearance with New England came when he played six snaps in their Week Six matchup at the Raiders.

Then in December, Cunningham was signed by the Ravens off of the Patriots' practice squad. He made one appearance with Baltimore last season, playing four snaps in their regular season finale vs. the Steelers.

While Ravens teammate Lamar Jackson still holds numerous Louisville records, Cunningham was able to break or match a couple of his records during his six years as a Cardinal. His 120 touchdowns responsible for are the most in Louisville history, his 12,848 career yards rank second to Jackson, and his 50 career rushing touchdowns are tied with the former Heisman Trophy winner.

His 3,184 rushing yards rank third in school history behind Jackson and Walter Peacock, his 9,664 career passing yards rank fourth and his 70 career passing touchdowns rank fifth.

(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Charles LeClaire - USA TODAY Sports)

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