Patriots offensive lineman Trent Brown appears displeased with how his team utilized quarterback Malik Cunningham during his rookie season. The eighth-year tackle took a shot at his organization for failing to get the former Louisville signal-caller in the lineup.
Baltimore signed Cunningham off of New England’s practice squad on Tuesday afternoon. It likely sets him up to serve as Lamar Jackson’s long-term backup with Tyler Huntley becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of the NFL season.
Although Cunningham is off to a new team, he is grateful for his time with the Patriots.
I wanted to thank Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick for giving me opportunity to play with the Patriots. I learned a lot from them. I want to be a coach one day, so I would take notes from Coach Belichick because he’s one of the greatest of all time. I had teammates in New England and built relationships that will last a lifetime. But I feel like this is a good opportunity for me and I’m excited to be a Baltimore Raven.
— Malik Cunningham
Bill O’Brien, the offensive coordinator in New England, called the rookie quarterback “one of the most improved practice squad players we have.” Cunningham showed flashes of greatness during the preseason.
He was an electric factory in college.
Despite the struggles between Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones, the Patriots never chose to give the third-stringer a real shot. He recorded six snaps in one game without attempting a pass and worked extensively at wide receiver.
Many fans of the team thought that Cunningham deserved a greater opportunity to show what he can do— especially as New England continued to lose down the stretch. That chance never came.
Brown appears to agree with the questionable decision not to put Cunningham in the game. The 30-year-old lineman posted to his Instagram story with a pretty clear shot at the team and the coaching staff’s unwillingness to give their rookie phenom a shot.
Go flourish where your talent is respected lil bradda… 4L (meaning for life)
— Trent Brown on Instagram
By saying that Cunningham’s talent will be respected in Baltimore, he is saying that Cunningham’s talent was not respected in Foxborough. Shots fired.
Brown’s clear disgruntlement comes amidst a time of turmoil within the Patriots locker room. They have won just three games and rumors continue to swirl about Belichick’s future with the team.
It’s not a great scene for the most dominant franchise in history. Brown’s jab about Malik Cunningham does not help to provide any positivity!