Ravens' Malik Cunningham Taking Position Change In Stride

Baltimore Ravens quarterback-turned receiver Malik Cunningham is taking well to his new position.

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. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Malik Cunningham had long dreamed of playing quarterback in the NFL, so when the Baltimore Ravens asked him to move to receiver full-time, he had to take some time to think it over.

The 25-year-old played quarterback throughout his entire college career at Louisville, and even in his first NFL season with the New England Patriots. When the Ravens signed him off the Patriots' practice squad late in the season, the hope was that he'd have a better chance to pursue his quarterback dreams behind fellow Louisville product Lamar Jackson, a player he's looked up to for a very long time.

As everyone knows now, though, the Ravens had other plans for Cunningham. While he was initially disappointed, he's now embracing the position change wholeheartedly.

"At first, I looked at it as like, 'Dang man, I want to be a quarterback,'" Cunningham said on "The Lounge" podcast, via BaltimoreRavens.com. "But at the same time, you have to do what's best for the team and that's how I looked at it. I was like, 'Hey, I can make plays for the quarterbacks out there when I get the ball in space.' So I looked at it as a plus, not as a fail.

"I believe in myself and my ability. Yeah, I can play quarterback. But that's now what they need me to do right now. They need me to do something else. I'm the type of guy, whatever it takes for the team to win."

Just from watching Cunningham at OTAs and mandatory minicamp, it'd be very hard to tell that he just switched positions. His experience as a quarterback brings a unique perspective to the receving corps, and coach John Harbaugh even described him as "kind of a natural" in his new role.

It would've been easy for Cunningham to feel discouraged at not playing his preferred position, but as the saying goes, the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the one on the back.

"It goes back to me not being stubborn," Cunningham said. "I have to do what's best for the team, be where my feet are. Maybe they see something else in me."

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