Trent Brown is Still Sounding Off on Malik Cunningham, Saying 'Everybody on the Team' Thought He Deserved to Be the Patriots QB

Frederick Breedon. Getty Images.

Like I said a eek ago when it was announced the Ravens had signed Malik Cunningham off the Patriots practice squad, I didn't think much of it. He was an intriguing signing as a UDFA out of Louisville. But on a team that has had major, crippling issues at quarterback, Cunningham had only taken six snaps all year, only three at QB, and the only entry on his stat line is the one sack he took. 

Clearly the Patriots evaluation of him was that he might help as a hybrid, movable piece in an increasingly positionless NFL. But that he was only QBish. Quarterback adjacent. Just not enough to help in any significant way. Besides, there had been so many roster moves at this position already, this one wasn't exactly a stunner. Bailey Zappe went from QB2 to camp cut to re-sign to now starting quarterback in a matter of a couple of month. Will Grier was on and off the roster like a Ventrone brother. (And old reference, but veteran Pats fans get it.) So a guy who never played getting signed elsewhere felt like about a 1.5 on the Lawyer Milloy Shock-o-Meter.

But clearly Cunningham's teammates saw it differently:

Granted, all that "buzz" came in the form of positive, encouraging posts on their socials. And none seemed more pointed and direct than Trent Brown's:

Now Brown has been asked about it. And he didn't so much double down as push his chips onto the table, get a credit from the house and put that on it as well:

Source - On Wednesday, Brown spoke with A to Z Sports exclusively about the entire situation and he didn't hold back. 

"It's funny because I told him months ago if they ever called, if anybody, that's the team where he should go," Brown said about the Ravens. "It was almost like I saw it coming."

"And that's really good for him to actually get a real chance to play his real position. …

"I mean, probably the most exciting drive we had in [Gillette ] stadium was against Houston in preseason games this season," Brown said. "Like, my guy couldn't even get a red jersey." …

So when asked if he thought Cunningham deserved more of a chance to play, Brown said what he was truly thinking. 

"Absolutely," Brown told A to Z Sports. "Everybody on the team did. Everybody."

Did I mention alarms going off? 

This is a red alert. The only thing that needs to be added is the female robot voice of the PA system counting down to how much time we have before the spaceship self destructs. 

What Brown said is way beyond "I like the kid and I'll miss by bro" or whatever. This is coming right out and saying he thinks the Patriots would've been better off with Cunningham under center. And by implication, the coaching staff doesn't know what they're doing. 

Just to clarify, the preseason game he referenced is the first one. The Patriots did nothing on offense behind Bailey Zappe or Trace McSorely in first three quarters, plus. Cunningham came in in the 4th and led a rare 18 play (!!!), 75 yard drive that ate up 7:58 off the clock and finished it himself:

And in doing so, left more of an impression with Brown and (his words, not mine) "everybody on the team" than he did the coaches.

You can argue that Brown is in no position to be throwing shade at Bill Belichick's staff, since he owes his career resurgence (and the $36.75 million guaranteed he got from the Raiders) to the coaching he got when Belichick signed him in the Super Bowl year of 2018. And you can point out that it's a bad look to be criticizing anyone when he's only taken more than snaps once in his last five seasons. And that season was last year, which coincided with him finishing second among tackles with 13 penalties. Or even suggest that when a guy is graded 27th among tackles by Pro Football Focus on an offense that is dead last in scoring, that maybe now is the ideal time for him to be focusing getting his own house in order instead of talent evaluation and roster building. 

And I wouldn't argue any of your points. But the larger issue is that Brown is not only publicly ripping team management, he's using that classic method of anyone looking to score points in their argument. The "Everybody's Saying It" technique. "It's not just me. Everybody says your new girlfriend is an insufferable bitch and they don't want to hang out with you when she's around. Our wives say it too."

Whether or not Brown is truly speaking for "everybody" or not, this is still all the danger signs. The one thing Belichick has had going in his favor as his fate in New England might be decided is that his team hasn't quit on him. For all their ingenious ways of finding new and ever more inventive ways to barf up winnable games all over the turf, they've fought hard to the end of all of them. But having the literally biggest presence in the locker room running around bad mouthing the coaching can't help one bit. Except to insure that Brown has played his last down in a Patriots uniform. 

I find it hard to believe that the thing that would finally make Belichick "lose the locker room" could be a UDFA out of Louisville. But stay tuned. And listen close. Because what we hear these guys say over the last three weeks here is doing to determine a lot.