At some point in the preseason, Colts quarterback Chandler Harnish might drop back, and find tight end Justice Cunningham with a pass.
“That would be a lot of irrelevancy on one play,” Harnish told Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. “And it would be us two proving a lot of people wrong.”
Harnish and Cunningham give the Colts the distinction of having the last two Mr. Irrelevants on their roster (the first time since the Raiders picked last in 2003 and 2004), and both try to balance the distinction of being drafted with the fun made at their expense.
Cunningham will be center stage in Newport Beach, Calif., this weekend for the event honoring the final player chosen in the NFL Draft. The indignity began early, when the founder of the event announced his selection at Radio City Music Hall, but called him “Justice Hamilton.”
“I most definitely did hear it,” Cunningham said. “And I’ll remember it. . . .
“Right now, I’m a man trying to earn a job. The sooner I can get rid of that title, the better.”
He’ll need every bit of motivation. He’s fighting two other guys for the third tight end job with the Colts, and both have NFL experience.
Harnish is one of only four Mr. Irrelevants since 2000 still on an NFL roster, and only four (not including Harnish) have taken a snap in a regular season game.
Final picks such as eventual Pro Bowler Bill Kenney and kicker Ryan Succop went onto success, but the majority fade into, well, irrelevance when final cuts come in.