The Atlanta Falcons will no longer be held back by the quarterback position any longer.
After moving on from the franchise's all-time leading passer, Matt Ryan, the Falcons never found themselves in a position to land another quality starter. Instead, they leaned on Desmond Ridder, whom the organization drafted with a third-round pick in 2022, which was notorious for being one of the weakest quarterback classes ever even leading up to the event.
Unsurprisingly, Ridder failed to elevate a squad that finished 7-10 in each of the last three seasons. This offseason, the Falcons front office decided to take a completely different approach.
First, the organization signed the top available free agent, Kirk Cousins, to a four-year $180 million deal. Cousins is coming off a torn Achilles tendon, but he was playing as well as he ever had before the injury. General manager Terry Fontenot then decided to select Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick.
Whether or not Penix was the right choice at the time, the Falcons had a plan.
"When you can add a high-caliber player like that, with his intangibles, those tools, he's a winner," Fontenot told reporters after the selection. "Very, very excited. You don't pass up that opportunity. Kirk Cousins is our quarterback, we're very excited about Kirk. Very excited about this team. Michael Penix is–we're talking about the future."
Instead of not having a starting-caliber quarterback, the Falcons now have two. They were mediocre without one. In the short term, Cousins is the guy. Atlanta should be considered the favorite to win the NFC South as a result. If another injury occurs or the Falcons are ready to move on, the franchise has already invested in the veteran's eventual successor.
