The Baltimore Ravens put return man Devin Duvernay on injured reserve Tuesday and signed quarterback Malik Cunningham off the New England Patriots’ practice squad, per reports.
Duvernay sustained a back injury during Sunday’s 37-31 overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams. He will miss the last four games of the regular season for Baltimore (10-3) but does not need surgery and could return for the playoffs, NFL Network reported.
Duvernay, 26, was an All-Pro in 2021 and made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022 as a return specialist. In 13 games this season he has averaged 12.6 yards per punt return and 19.3 per kickoff return.
Replacing Duvernay on the roster with Cunningham will reunite the signal-caller with former Louisville teammate Lamar Jackson.
Cunningham, 25, overlapped with the Ravens’ starting quarterback at Louisville when he redshirted for Jackson’s final season in 2017. Cunningham passed for 9,664 yards and 70 touchdowns with the Cardinals.
Cunningham signed with New England this offseason as an undrafted free agent. Baltimore already has QBs Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson on the 53-man roster.
“I wanted to thank Mr. (Robert) Kraft and Coach (Bill) Belichick for giving me an opportunity to play with the Patriots,” Cunningham told ESPN. “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 great teammates in New England and built relationships that will last a lifetime. But I just feel like this is a good opportunity for me and I’m excited to be a Baltimore Raven.”
–Field Level Media