Patriots stuck between rock and hard place with latest roster move

The New England Patriots had a hellish stretch since their Week 3 win over the New York Jets. They had gone winless in their next three games, scoring just 20 points against the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and Las Vegas Raiders combined. This week, they defeated the Buffalo Bills 29-25 to get their second win of the season.

This upcoming week, the team is set to take on the Miami Dolphins, who they put up a fight against back in Week 2. Ahead of the game, the team made some roster moves, one of which would catch the attention of fans.

The Patriots announced on Tuesday that they have released quarterback Malik Cunningham, alongside defensive end Trey Flowers. Cunningham was signed to the team's active roster less than two weeks prior to this announcement.

Patriots waive Malik Cunningham for second time this season

This move is a bit of a shock, considering that they brought up Cunningham to the active roster before the team's Week 6 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. In fact, he was the backup quarterback behind Mac Jones for that game. Jones was reportedly on a short leash for that game. Cunningham played six snaps in that game.

After that game, however, Cunningham plummeted down the depth chart behind Bailey Zappe and Will Grier. Cunningham was a healthy scratch for the Bills game.

Even though Cunningham was waived, the expectation is that he will return as part of their practice squad if he goes unclaimed. As Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald points out, the team had to make "tough roster decisions due to injuries/activations," and he expects him to return to the practice squad.

Jones just had his best team of the season against the Bills, where he threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns while completing 25-of-30 pass attempts.

Bookkeeping by NFL teams always has fans scratching their heads over the announcements. But from the sounds of it, Cunningham will be back on the practice squad once they make their activations and once he clears waivers.