Earlier this week, the Detroit Lions made an interesting addition to their practice squad, signing wide receiver Malik Cunningham. Many Lions fans didn’t expect the team to sign a WR, given their lack of depth at defensive end, which could become an issue with Marcus Davenport’s injury.
However, Lions head coach Dan Campbell had a unique reason for bringing Cunningham to the Motor City. According to Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit, Campbell told reporters Thursday that they like Cunningham’s athleticism and added he’ll offer the defense a different look this week, possibly as a scout team QB.
Lions Already Putting Malik Cunningham to Work Days After Signing Him
Before making the conversion to wide receiver, Cunningham played quarterback at Louisville and entered the NFL as a QB.
At the University of Louisville, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Cunningham completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 9,664 yards, 70 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions across his five-year career. He also added 3,179 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns on the ground.
Cunningham wasn’t the same type of dynamic and efficient passer as Lamar Jackson was at Louisville, but he still was effective as a dual-threat signal caller.
The former Louisville Cardinal hasn’t had much of a chance to play quarterback in the NFL after spending time with the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.
However, for a team like the Lions, which doesn’t have a dual-threat QB on its 53-man roster or practice squad, Cunningham can emulate Jackson on various plays and packages. The former QB turned WR ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, which isn’t blazing, but it's faster than what Detroit has on its roster at QB.
Detroit can also pick Cunningham’s mind on what the Ravens like to do on offense, as he was there at the end of the 2023 season and spent all of the 2024 season on the practice squad. He was also with them for training camp this summer before getting cut.
If you’re the Lions, you have to take every competitive advantage you can get. And who knows, maybe Cunningham sticks on the practice squad after this week, as the Lions could do a lot of different things with him on offense.