The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns have both been linked with Atlanta Falcons veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who lost his starting job to 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. in December.
During a Thursday appearance on Pittsburgh sports radio station 93.7 The Fan, NFL analyst Steve Palazzolo of The 33rd Team warned both the Steelers and Browns about pursuing Cousins assuming the 36-year-old hits the open market next month.
"I'd have concerns with Cousins because I've heard about him going to Cleveland," Palazzolo explained, as shared by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. "If you're asking about Pittsburgh, I don't trust him outdoors in the AFC North. I don't think he's got that type of juice in his arm. I think he needs a controlled environment. I would have serious concerns for most teams when it comes to Cousins."
In what likely will be his only season with the Falcons, Cousins helped the club win six of its first nine games before he was slowed by ankle, shoulder and elbow issues. Additionally, it was said before he was benched that he "wasn’t driving the ball quite the same" coming off the torn Achilles he suffered in October 2023 and that he had a "dead" arm by the middle of December.
According to Pro Football Reference, Cousins finished the regular season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 50.4 adjusted QBR, 23rd with an 88.6 passer rating and 19th with an average of 6.95 adjusted yards gained per pass attempt. He recorded 18 touchdown passes and a league-high 16 interceptions (tied with Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) over 14 games.
The good news for the Steelers and Browns is that at least one Atlanta source of SNY's Connor Hughes reportedly thinks that "a lot of that arm strength will come back this season with Cousins another year removed from the Achilles."
That's all well and good as it pertains to home games played in September and October, but such a vote of confidence doesn't guarantee Cousins will remain healthy through January or be able to drive the ball in outdoor contests held in either Pittsburgh or Cleveland over the campaign's final month.
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