Second-year pro Malik Cunningham has surprised offensive coordinator Todd Monken with how well he has taken to the position switch.
Switching from one skill position to another at the highest level of football is easier said than done. It can be especially daunting when converting from one that is protected the most such as quarterback to one that isn’t nearly as much.
After his team proclaimed long-time journeyman veteran Josh Johnson as the clear-cut primary backup to two-time MVP-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson and selected rookie Devin Leary in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft as a developmental project and potential third on the depth chart, Malik Cunningham’s best path to earning a roster spot became clear.
When the Baltimore Ravens signed the 2023 undrafted free agent off the New England Patriots, it was primarily to continue developing his skill as a quarterback while still experimenting with him at wide receiver. Now that playing quarterback is no longer an option at this time, he is not only fully committed to the switch but has impressed his coaches with how smooth and natural his transition has been when it comes to some of the nuances of learning his new position.
“He has done a great job,” Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “[He’s] further along than what I would have thought. When we moved him there, we’re like, ‘OK, here’s a really good athlete, really smart, gets football, smile on his face every day, going to get better in the meetings,’ but really had some natural route-running instincts, balance and body control that I really didn’t think he had… We’re excited for him and for us. Because, when you move [a player into a new position], there is some anxiety, ‘What’s next?’ He’s done a great job.”
There are several high-profile examples of former college quarterbacks who made a successful transition from dynamic college quarterback to NFL wide receiver. Two of the most notable in the last decade are three-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman who is retired and sixth-year veteran Jakobi Meyers who currently plays for the Las Vegas Raiders. Like Cunningham, both players began their careers with the Patriots where they first made the switch and went on to establish themselves as one of the best slot receivers in the league.
Cunningham profiles in a very similar way and can carve out a future for himself in the NFL by following in their footsteps. Athletic college quarterbacks who make the switch can develop into excellent inside receiving options at the next level whether it is at receiver or tight end because their experience playing the position gives them unique insight into what signal callers look for when going through their progressions and reading the middle of the field in particular.
“He’s doing a great job transitioning from the quarterback position to the receiver position,” Ravens wide receivers coach Greg Lewis said during OTAs in May. “He understands spatial awareness. He understands that from the quarterback’s perspective. Obviously, he understands zone coverage. So now it’s getting him to do the little things as the receivers do it because he hasn’t done it a bunch.”
In college at the University of Louisville, he had the incredibly tall task of having to follow up Jackson—who won a Heisman Trophy and will go down as one of the best players in NCAA history—as the leading man under center for the Cardinals. Not only did Cunningham do a more than admirable job, but he broke several of his predecessor’s school career and single-season records in the process. While he is focused on being the best receiver he can be early in his career, Cunningham isn’t completely closing the door on his dreams of playing quarterback in the NFL someday in the future but wants to help his team win in the present.
“I believe in myself and my ability,” Cunningham said on an appearance on The Lounge podcast in June. “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.”
As of right now and barring any injuries—knock on wood—Cunningham still faces long odds to make the final 53-man roster. He would likely have to outplay either or both of Tylan Wallace and Deonte Harty in order to make the team but neither will be an easy task to pull off.
Harty is a former First Team All Pro returner who was brought in to replace two-time Pro Bowl return specialist Devin Duvernay while Wallace is a former fourth-round pick who has been a staple on special teams during his first three years in the league. Cunningham would need to make his presence felt the most on special teams as a returner and covering kicks during training camp and the preseason to give himself the best shot to survive final cutdown day.