There has been some concern about Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins’ health after his forgettable debut with the team in Week 1 of the NFL season. In particular, the Falcons’ play-calling and overall game plan seemed to put an emphasis on limiting his movement as he continues to make his way back from last season’s Achilles tendon injury.
Cousins addressed those concerns on Thursday, and told Tori McElhaney of the Falcons’ website that his Achilles “feels good” and that he is able to move and push off the way he needs to in order to be an effective quarterback.
You probably should not expect Cousins to say anything to the contrary at this point because he certainly wants to control what people are saying about his health.
But if he comes out in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles and struggles again, and if the Falcons’ game plan is again centered around shotgun snaps and exclusively running out of the pistol like they did in Week 1, it is only going to further drive speculation that Cousins is not 100% healthy.
The Falcons signed Cousins in free agency in the hopes that he could solve their longtime hole at quarterback. But they raised eyebrows just a few weeks later when they used a top-10 draft pick on quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
If Cousins is healthy and playing up to his past level, he can be one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL and could make Atlanta a contender in a wide-open NFC South. But if he plays like he did in Week 1, this could be the beginning of an underwhelming season and perhaps a regrettable free-agency contract. The next few weeks will start to tell us a lot about which direction that will go.
