Two months ago, Kirk Cousins indoctrinated himself into the Atlanta faithful by swag surfing after a thrilling primetime victory. The warm welcome has passed over, the music’s stopped, and Cousins is headed to the bench.
In a statement released Tuesday evening by head coach Raheem Morris, the club decided to bench their veteran signal caller in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr.
The Kirk Cousins Disaster
The benching is a stunning move just 14 games into Cousins’ tenure as a Falcon. This offseason, the team inked him to a four-year, $180M contract, with $90M fully guaranteed. Cousins’ accuracy and ability to decisively distribute the rock were supposed to complement the roster’s high-end playmakers and be the missing piece to an overnight rebuild.
Cousins instead looked hobbled, playing like a statue coming off a torn Achilles suffered last season. He’s never been an athletic specimen, but his inability to navigate the pocket at an elementary level was startling. Cousins looked physically unable to avoid any type of pressure. He failed to even routinely step into his throws to generate more zip on the ball.
The 36-year-old stopped taking care of the football as well, tossing a league-worst 16 interceptions, seven of which came in his last three outings. It was time to stop blaming growing pains and make the switch.
The Michael Penix Jr. Era
The eighth-overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, Michael Penix Jr., is coming off a historic run with the University of Washington. Penix started his career as a dual-threat quarterback at the University of Indiana. He flashed pro traits but was consistently railroaded by untimely injuries. After taking his talents to the Pacific Northwest, Penix Jr. transitioned into a more pure pocket passer, which made him a superstar. His super senior season was spectacular, tallying 39 total touchdowns, finishing as the runner-up in the Heisman race, and leading his Huskies to an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Penix has a gorgeous southpaw release and throws a stellar deep ball. He might not have a Josh Allen-esque cannon, but he gets plenty of spin on the ball to drop it perfectly in his receiver’s hands. His footwork could be a little sloppy at moments, but his timing and ability to launch off-platform minimize that issue.
Michael Penix Jr. Has Superstar Potential
Outside of his medical history, Penix drew criticism for potentially having too good of a supporting cast. His top three targets, Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’Lynn Polk were all talented enough to be taken within the first three rounds of the draft, though none of those guys are exactly lighting the league on fire. It’s clear on tape that the trio wasn’t always running around wide open; a lot of the success was due to Penix tossing darts and having his weapons elevate his already elite skillset.
Penix might run much less, but he’s still athletic enough to avoid oncoming rushers and not crumble in a heap when a defender is in his general vicinity. Even as a rookie, he will have the poise to deliver competitive balls to his top pass catchers.
Cousins was holding this group with clear postseason aspirations back — he was, without question, a liability. Even if the organization has to eat a hefty serving of dead cap money this summer by possibly cutting Cousins, the current production at the game’s most important position was unacceptable.
Penix has all the tools to be successful; he just needs to stay upright.
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