3 Patriots Most Likely to Be Inactive vs. Dolphins in Week 8

2. Malik Cunningham

The Patriots have been tinkering with their quarterback room all season, as they've been unable to settle on a stable backup QB behind Mac Jones. Bailey Zappe, Will Grier and Malik Cunningham have all been jockeying for the QB2 spot, which has rotated on a near-weekly basis this year.

That was the case again in Week 7 against Buffalo. Jones was the starter, of course, with Zappe backing him up and Grier serving as the emergency third quarterback. Cunningham was the odd man out, which was confirmed again this week when the team released him.

Cunningham cleared waivers, fortunately, and is back on the practice squad, but that shows how far his stock has fallen with the coaching staff lately. Bill Belichick's mind seems to change every week regarding his backup QBs, but right now Cunningham looks like the fourth-stringer based on this week's roster move.

Zappe and Grier have been taking reps with the scout team this week, suggesting that they'll once again be QB2 and the emergency QB on Sunday. Barring a late surge by Cunningham at practice this week, he'll likely be inactive again on Sunday. As a rookie, he's the least experienced of the four options, after all, and presumably needs more practice to earn a spot on the roster.

Then again, with the way Belichick has treated the position this year, who knows?!