The Atlanta Falcons, once again, are heading into a season with a new quarterback room. Last year’s experiment with Desmond Ridder is over. The next experiment takes the form of Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr.
However, one NFL analyst is not enthusiastic about the pairing.
Writing for Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Kristopher Knox claimed that Penix adds to Cousins’ “bust potential.”
“While having a succession plan is smart, Penix’s presence adds to Cousins’ bust potential. Fans are likely to call for the youngster the first time Cousins strings a couple of bad games together. Players might feel the same way after seeing the rookie’s potential on the practice field,” he wrote.
Dangers surround Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr.’s cohabitation on Falcons depth chart
One can logically reason that in certain situations, the Falcons are teed up to make their quarterback situation worse. That’s because Cousins has been known to hit losing streaks in the NFL. If he has another one in the next two seasons, the Falcons might feel pressure to turn to Penix too early. It wouldn’t be too early for Penix compared to other quarterback cooking periods on the bench. That said, it could be too early for Cousins to pull himself out of a funk.
Cousins started 1-3 with the Minnesota Vikings last season, but managed to get the team back to 4-4. Had he not gotten injured, any outcome for the season was possible. If he has another 1-3 run at any time this season, the Falcons may feel forced to throw Penix in during a situation that Cousins could have gotten himself out of.
If the Falcons truly want to slow-cook Penix like Jordan Love, then they should pretend he isn’t even on the roster this season, as the Packers did with Love back in 2020.
ESPN’s depth chart for the Falcons doesn’t believe this to be the case at the time of writing. According to their depth chart, Penix is sitting squarely behind Cousins. He even saw plenty of action in the team’s inaugural game of the 2024 preseason. In the game, Penix threw for 104 yards and completed 9 of 16 passes, leading the other backup quarterbacks.
As such, if Kirk Cousins gets a look at any point this preseason and comes up short, the calls for a quarterback switch could begin as soon as this week.
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