Taking stock of the Patriots roster before OTAs 

I’ve read a lot of comments regarding Malik Cunningham’s running and elusiveness. What I don’t see is his arm strength. Since neither Jones or Zappe is a slam dunk to produce at a high level this means that the door is slightly open for an athletic qb. Then again it could be an attempt to find a new Julius Edelman. I think he has a chance to stick with the team this year and contribute in some form next year. What do you see happening? – David Brown

Yeah, the knock of Cunningham is the deep ball strength and accuracy, although he’s pretty good making reads and getting the ball out on the short stuff and obviously he has an electric gear when he runs the ball. Honestly, my hopes are far lower and it’s that he can be a practice squad member who prepares the defense to face a high-level mobile quarterback. Once again, the team struggled to contain Lamar Jackson and Justin Fields when their teams went to a QB run-heavy approach. Aside from competing with Mac and Zap, aside from potential as a receiver, I think this is the way that Cunningham could have the biggest impact on an area of weakness. It may be behind the scenes but he’s the kind of player they need to be better against. That said, I’m excited to see him get a chance this summer, even if it’s just last reps against scout teams. He’s that fast.

When is Mapu expecred to be cleared? In OTAs, minicamp or training camp? – @Baderthfc

He said after he was drafted that he expects to be ready by training camp and I really hope that that is the case because anytime a rookie gets stuck on the sidelines in their first summer it can be hard to overcome. It will be tough to get a read on this over the next month in OTAs as we’ll often see players still recovering from injury still involved in the light practices but then begin training camp on the PUP list. The sooner Mapu is out there the better chance he has of earning the coach’s trust and carving out a rookie role for himself.

Do you feel the offensive line is better…