The Atlanta Falcons have already got a quarterback drawback, however it’s not one routinely solved by simply yanking the veteran for the rookie.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins regarded all out of types in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, as his post-Achilles tear debut confirmed a lot of rust and a transparent schematic guardrail put up round his present skills.
The Falcons’ offense with Cousins coming off his damage seems prefer it’s utilizing coaching wheels to provide the vet probably the most comfy slide again into NFL play, one with none play-action ideas (a Cousins staple) or any have to be something however a statue within the pocket that finds probably the most handy learn potential.
What which means for the Falcons within the interim is perhaps grim, because the crew is already breaking in a brand new offensive scheme and a rookie play caller in Zac Robinson. Wins might not be straightforward to come back by instantly with the schedule as robust as it’s for Atlanta to begin the season. The Eagles, Chiefs, Saints and Buccaneers all await in that order.
A rusty Cousins who isn’t but comfy with himself on the sphere may put the Falcons in a deep gap and make profitable the division a a lot taller process than anticipated. That’s simply the danger the crew assumed when it signed Cousins within the first place, and the one manner out proper now for the quarterback and the crew requires ironclad endurance and stay sport reps.
Nevertheless, Cousins adapting again to soccer after his damage isn’t going to trigger the Falcons to press the panic button and begin rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. sooner than deliberate.
Even when a wholesome Penix hypothetically provides the crew extra avenues to run a extra various offense, the Falcons simply paid Cousins an infinite contract that ought to preserve him in Atlanta by means of the 2025 season, if not longer.
A few tough video games of Cousins acclimating again to full-speed soccer in a restricted offense isn’t going to make the group pull the plug on the veteran quarterback’s tenure in Atlanta probably years forward of schedule. Even when the Falcons fall to 0-5 to begin the season within the nightmare situation, it’s nonetheless probably going to be Cousins’ crew as Penix waits for his flip within the wings.
Whereas that is perhaps a bitter capsule to swallow for Falcons followers who yearn to make it again to the playoffs, a few tough video games for Cousins in an Atlanta uniform most likely isn’t going to ship him to the bench for Penix.
That’s simply not more likely to occur. Taking part in quarterback musical chairs in 2023 between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke is partly why Arthur Smith misplaced his job with Atlanta as its head coach, because the crew not sticking with Ridder turned out to be an excellent worse resolution when Heinicke wasn’t a lot better, obtained harm and Ridder rejoined the lineup later within the season. Even together with his turnover habits, he nonetheless deserved the season to determine issues out and doubtless would’ve been extra profitable with out the pointless hiatus.
If the Falcons begin Penix, they don’t return to Cousins. You’ll be able to’t flip again to a more healthy Cousins if Penix goes out, performs properly and wins over the followers and locker room. Even when Penix struggles mightily, that’s going to be graded on the rookie curve. You don’t bench a rookie for trying like a rookie.
The previous Washington star was drafted to the Falcons as Cousins’ inheritor obvious, however Cousins’ contract and all the crew’s messaging strongly hints that the veteran bridge goes to increase previous this season.
Placing Penix in as early as October principally exiles Cousins to a future with one other group. The crew must eat an outrageous quantity of useless cap area to maneuver on him after this season, both through a commerce or by means of an outright launch.
For a man that was simply voted a captain by his teammates and whose arrival made the Falcons a stylish NFC playoff choose, it’d really feel grossly untimely to simply name it on his tenure with the crew, even when he does take a bit to spherical type and be extra of the man he’s been at earlier stops.
Beginning Penix now principally throws out the plan to develop him behind the scenes through the Jordan Love/Inexperienced Bay Packers mannequin, one which was cited closely by the Falcons’ brass when making an attempt to justify the Penix choose within the first place.
Whereas it’s potential Atlanta found one thing foreboding about Cousins’ well being after signing him and picked Penix as an escape hatch, it’s extra possible that Cousins is simply not fairly the place anybody desires him to be simply but and that the crew is simply going to sweat it out early for him to shake it off in actual time.
Raheem Morris is barely a sport into his return to the Falcons as a head coach, and his regime shouldn’t be going to be on the recent seat with a traditionally affected person Arthur Clean except the 2024 Falcons are the second coming of the 2008 Detroit Lions. There isn’t essentially a rush to make the postseason in Atlanta for this teaching employees, even when the crew’s six-season playoff drought stings much more the longer it goes.
Drafting Penix means Morris and normal supervisor Terry Fontenot have time to purchase since they will all the time lean on the rookie quarterback to promote the longer term even when the current produces diminishing outcomes with Cousins. They gained’t hurry Penix into the lineup whereas Cousins washes off the rust simply to alleviate exterior concern and criticism and achieve a extra fast (and hypothetical) aggressive benefit. Even then, Penix remains to be a rookie and wouldn’t be proof against on-field struggles that trigger the Falcons to lose.
The situation the place Penix does play comes with the Falcons being eradicated from playoff competition and loses hope in Cousins ever being his previous self once more post-injury. In that world, Cousins will get traded or reduce subsequent spring and Penix goes forward to get a number of video games in for posterity earlier than 20245.
The opposite state of affairs entails Cousins struggling one other season-ending damage and the crew having no selection aside from to begin Penix for the remainder of the yr. Neither are as possible as probably the most believable situation, which is Cousins dusts off his struggles finally and performs strong soccer as soon as he’s settled again into full-time sport play.
If Cousins is washed post-Achilles, the Falcons will abdomen the devastating failure of his signing and transfer on to Penix sooner than hoped. That gained’t be decided for no less than the following couple of months of the season, if not longer.
If Cousins performs like he did on Sunday in November and exhibits tangible indicators of everlasting growing old, the Falcons may need to make some laborious, laborious calls before later. If Cousins performs like this for the remainder of the month and begins to indicate indicators of life in October, it’ll be all techniques go for the quarterback’s tenure with the Falcons.
Both manner, beginning Penix early is a worst-case situation for the Cousins period of Falcons soccer. You’ll be able to guess Atlanta has all the motivation and hope on this planet for Captain Kirk to settle into his beginning job, which is why Penix gained’t begin for the crew this fall except all else fails and Cousins is a bust.
