Can Malik Cunningham Really Help Patriots By Mimicking Jalen Hurts?

FOXBORO, Mass. — Malik Cunningham’s lone impact on Sunday’s game between the Patriots and Eagles likely will be made in the days ahead of the matchup.

The undrafted rookie quarterback, who mostly played receiver before getting cut at the end of training camp, now is on New England’s practice squad. And you can bet the Patriots have asked Cunningham to mimic Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia’s dual-threat quarterback, during practices leading up to the game. The uber-athletic Cunningham probably even played the Hurts role during certain camp practices.

But will it make any difference? Can he actually help the Patriots prepare for one of the NFL’s most dangerous quarterbacks?

Bill Belichick threw cold water on that idea Wednesday morning.

“Yeah, I mean Malik’s got some good skills,” New England’s head coach said before practice. “I think it would be a stretch to compare Malik Cunningham to Jalen Hurts now. I mean, we’re talking about a guy who was second in MVP voting last year, or whatever he was. Athletically, there’s some similarities, but you’re talking about arguably the best player in the league, or one of the top two or three best players in the league. Nobody has anybody that can be him, and if they do, that guy’s probably not playing on the scout team for that team anyway.

“I mean, it is what it is. We go through that every week. Every team’s got a few good players, and some great players, and it’s hard to replicate those players. If you have one, your guy’s probably not on the scout team doing that for that guy anyway. You do the best you can. We’ll have somebody to try to simulate the best we can what Hurts does, but we don’t have anybody like Hurts, and probably, neither does anybody else.”

Belichick’s remarks weren’t entirely surprising. It’s not his style to divulge any details about his team’s preparation for an opponent.

However, edge rusher Josh Uche claimed playing against Cunningham can be beneficial for New England’s defenders.

“It just helps to go against anybody that’s athletic running the ball,” Uche said after practice. “Working on your leverage, working on your fundamentals, tackling — all that stuff. It definitely helps when you have somebody that’s not a pocket passer.”

The Patriots and Eagles are scheduled to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.