Falcons are already mismanaging Kirk Cousins

"I want to play, but I think that ask fell on deaf ears," Cousins told reporters on Thursday. "I think seeing live bullets and playing is helpful, but I also understand the logic behind not doing it," he added.

Usually, keeping a 12-year NFL veteran quarterback out of the preseason would be smart business. However, Cousins' situation is much different from most others.

Coming off a torn Achilles, is it the wisest decision to keep Cousins on the sideline and have his first action since suffering his injury be in Week 1 of the regular season? The rest of the league will have shaken off its rust in the preseason just as he's getting started.

Sitting Cousins will also give him less time to forge a connection with Atlanta's young offensive skill-position players, including tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson.

Instead of hitting the ground running to start the regular season, Atlanta might need the first few weeks to get everyone on the same page.

With its brutal early slate, the Falcons' reported decision on Cousins could set the team up to fail.

Their first five games are against teams that finished 2023 with a winning record, including four (Steelers, Eagles, Chiefs, Buccaneers) that made the postseason.

Atlanta already undermined Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract ($100 million guaranteed) in March, by selecting his eventual replacement, Michael Penix Jr., at No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The 2023 Heisman runner-up will most benefit from Cousins' likely preseason absence. And with a strong showing by Penix in August, a quarterback controversy could ignite.

When (or if) that happens, the Falcons will only have themselves to blame.