It is hardly a secret that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins needs the Atlanta Falcons to chop or commerce him as quickly as potential now that the membership is shifting ahead with 2024 first-round draft decide Michael Penix Jr. as its starter.
Whereas talking with reporters on Tuesday, Cousins indicated he nonetheless hasn’t totally returned to how he felt earlier than he suffered a torn Achilles in October 2023.
“When the season ended final 12 months, I began entering into engaged on my physique and having the time to do this,” Cousins defined, as shared by Rick Farlow of the Related Press. “I believed I used to be a lot better than I used to be. On (a scale) of 1 to 10, I believed I used to be at an eight, however I used to be actually again at a 3 or 4 and now I am getting again to that six, seven (or) eight. You begin to understand that you just weren’t as far alongside as you thought. (There was) a number of studying this offseason to get there.”
Cousins recovered from the Achilles setback in time to function Atlanta’s Week 1 starter final September, and he guided the group to a 6-3 file. Nevertheless, he then regarded “out of gasoline” and appeared to have a “lifeless” arm as he handled elbow, shoulder and ankle points throughout what grew to become a four-game dropping streak. The Falcons finally turned to Penix after they ended Week 15 at 7-7, and he remained within the lineup by means of Atlanta’s regular-season finale.
“The Achilles healed nice,” Cousins famous. “What ended up occurring was the ankle was simply very tight. All the pieces was (about constructing) power, so that is what I centered on. What I noticed this offseason was the power was there. It was a mobility difficulty. You must have each, and I actually did not have the mobility. So now it has been (about) mobility.”
Additionally on Tuesday, head coach Raheem Morris strongly advised the Falcons will maintain onto Cousins as their QB2 if no group trades for the 36-year-old this summer season. The Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers had been linked with Cousins earlier this offseason however have since stuffed their quarterback rooms by way of different transactions.
Cousins’ feedback on Tuesday possible will not do him any favors relating to a potential commerce contemplating it was already believed that “he must get his entire physique into the throws” at this stage of his profession. Even when a group loses a starter to an damage this summer season, that membership might go on buying and selling for the model of Cousins that exists coming off his Achilles damage.
