When the Atlanta Falcons signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in NFL free agency, they were hopeful that he would be the missing piece that helped power them back into playoff contention.
To begin the year, the Falcons looked good. They went 4-2 through their first six games, but after losing today in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers, they are just 6-6 and things aren’t looking nearly as promising.
Cousins hasn’t been horrible, but he hasn’t been good either. Today, he threw four interceptions.
His diminishing performance has led some to urge Atlanta to make a shocking quarterback move ahead of Week 14 action.
Atlanta Falcons Urged to Make Shocking Quarterback Move
Zachary Rotman of FanSided has urged the Atlanta Falcons to bench Cousins in favor of first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr.
“Sticking with Cousins is almost certainly what Raheem Morris will elect to do, and it’s hard to blame him fully, but the Falcons did just draft Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Games like this one have to make it at least a little tempting to see what the rookie can do. It can’t be much worse than what we just saw.”
While a change from Cousins to Penix should not be expected, Rotman has a point. Cousins could not have played a worse game in Week 13. A move to Penix could give the team a much-needed burst of energy.
Making the selection of Penix at No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft was surprising enough. Not drafting him to play at 24 years old already was even more surprising.
It would not be a bad idea to make a change now. The Atlanta Falcons have nothing to lose and Penix could come in and make the offense much more dynamic.
None of this is to say that Cousins is a bad quarterback. He just hasn’t been able to play up to the level that he showed in previous years. Part of that could have to do with the Achilles injury limiting his mobility.
All of that being said, it’s likely that the Falcons will stick with Cousins for now. Should his struggles continue, they could opt to make a change in another week or two, but with them still in the playoff hunt it’s unlikely that they’ll bench their big money quarterback.
