Agreed, though I would say one consideration with Cunningham is whether Bill is adjusting his approach to complement Mac at quarterback. Obviously, this wasn’t a concern when you had the GOAT at the position, but it may be one now.
I also think somebody will got to IR after the 53, probably before the first game even happens, so a lot of the fringe choices will likely be about "who can we sneak through and then bring back after we make our injury moves" so Cunningham could end up on the roster for much of the year, just not making the initial one. Where say Boutte or Douglas, I think you cut that guy he ends up on someone else's roster right away.
I agree. Cunningham has basically shown one drive that is probably not too dissimilar to what he showed at Louisville. That college tape wasn't worth enough to get him drafted, I doubt teams will be lining up to grab him now.
This is very true. Probably multiple somebody's.
I don't think he's shown enough as a WR to suggest that he is playable there outside of an emergency, whatever his ultimate potential at the position may be.
My sense was Cunningham was going to play QB for at least 1 or maybe 2 drives last week until Bolden got hurt and they called the game. He def. got a lot of run (and targets) at WR.
If all he's getting is a series or two tomorrow night, I'd expect him to be cut. If he gets a half or more, than I would call that a serious look.
Yeah agreed. Earlier I was on fence about rostering Thornton but after some great insights in this thread I think the reality of this year is they are not a contender, intriguing but not a contender. So the best thing Bill can do is stockpile as much potential special talent as he can as opposed to a classic well balanced roster.
The bolded is a big part of why I'm bearish on his chances of making the team. Cunningham played zero special teams snaps against Houston and just one against Green Bay. He's not a factor on special teams, he's about seventh or eighth on the depth chart at WR, and it's not clear that they take his chances of playing QB seriously at all. It's hard to see how he could make the 48-man active roster and there are only a handful of spots for redshirt guys to make the 53 and not play on game day.
Yeah, Boutte hasn't played much on ST either, but he's played more, and Boutte was a good ST player in college where Cunningham (obviously since he was the QB) didn't play it.
I think your thought that he misses the first 53 and comes back is likely correct. With the new QB 3 rules, most teams are going to want to roster a 3rd QB in some capacity. The problem is, if the Pats employ him in that way he's not going to be able to be used for the gadget stuff he's good at.
I'm not convinced of that. Cunningham probably has more upside at this point. But not sure he's actually shown much at this point.
Or, if they know what they have, and he's gonna be a short yardage or goal line option thing, why put all that on game tape for others?
Both, I expect. Cunningham has shown he can't run routes at all right now, and his hands are deeply suspect, but as an RPO prospect, I bet he'll make it through cutdown and on to the PS. TT has shown very little, and with a roster crunch at his position, he's lucky to be injured and able to be stashed on IR for the first month minimum.
I imagine RedOctober will start a new thread for a final 53, but in the meantime...
I would imagine Strong makes it over Harris. He's not a complete zero on passing downs and he can play special teams.
The spent a fourth round pick on a kicker who's had a solid camp by all accounts and they are going to waste a spot with Folk? I mean, if that's indeed the case what's the scenario in which a rookie would make them comfortable at the position? And if one doesn't exist, why draft a kicker in the first place? That would be a monumentally stupid decision, just move on with Ryland.
I'm not saying I agree, it's just a prediction. The prediction is based on reports that Ryland has struggled recently after a strong start. Folk has been very stable for them over the years, and he's continued to get reps. Now maybe the reps are just out of deference for a guy they've really appreciated over time but maybe not. Also, there are a few teams who are in dire need of a kicker (the Titans being one of them), so there may be some value in holding onto him as an asset.
Oh, I understand it's a prediction and I wouldn't be surprised if it happened, it sounds like something they'd do. Guess it's my fault for getting pre-mad at something they haven't done yet.
One day later, the PS signings went like this (again per ESPN):
So what happened to those who they cut?
I don't think Harris offers anything over Zeke or Stevenson. Maybe they should cut him and keep 3 RB and a 10th OL (Hines).
I was just thinking about this today. The Niners would sign Folk in a millisecond if given the chance. They are seriously considering bringing back Robbie Gould because their rookie kicker is hurt.
We always get worked up this time of the year about the bottom 10 guys on the roster. Can anyone remember a guy cut by the Pats at roster cut down that really became a decent NFL player? Guard Ted Larsen was cut in 2010 and went on to have a 10 year career. Berrios has 107 career receptions but he is nothing special.
And the flip side: how many guys, either that started as Pats or got pickup by the Pats, because key guys from the practice squad.
TE Lee Smith (2010) played 149 games, but only caught 73 passes.
Stephen Neal, Ryan Wendell, Dan Connolly, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Kyle Arrington. Ted Karras was on the practice squad for a few days one year.
Danny, both Amendola and Woodward, were PS guys but not for the Patriots obviously.
