The New England Patriots elevated Malik Cunningham from the practice squad to the 53-man roster Saturday, and also gave him a three-year contract.
This means Cunningham will be active and could make his NFL debut Sunday afternoon when the Patriots play the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Cunningham played quarterback at the University of Louisville but has seen snaps at multiple positions -- QB, wide receiver and special teams -- since joining the Patriots as an undrafted free agent over the summer.
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The fact that the Patriots feel strongly enough to put him on the active roster must mean they think he can play some kind of meaningful role Sunday. Not using him would be a complete waste of a valuable roster spot.
So how might the Patriots use Cunningham versus the Raiders? Here's what Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported Saturday.
Our insider Phil Perry thinks the Patriots could use Cunningham in a role we typically see from Saints QB Taysom Hill.
"My guess with Cunningham is this is going to be more of a Taysom Hill, for the lack of a better example, type of usage pattern with Malik Cunningham," Perry said on Patriots Pregame Live.
"You might see him at wide receiver a little bit. You might even see him at quarterback just to get the football in his hands and try to allow him to be a playmaker because this offense is looking for juice wherever they can find it. But he is not close to being a starting quarterback for this team, and that's why Mac Jones has the time now to maybe dig himself out of it."
The Patriots need whatever spark they can get offensively after scoring just three points over the last two weeks combined. The lack of playmakers on offense is hampering this unit quite a bit, so if Cunningham can come in and confuse the defense and help the Patriots pick up yards in large chunks, that would be a welcome sight for this team.
Kickoff for Patriots-Raiders is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.