The 37-year-old signal caller for the Atlanta Falcons has had everyone talking this entire training camp. He has been a great teammate and backup to Bell proving to be a valuable asset. Even when he was thrown in due to injury last season, he proved to be an impressive talent, playing mostly with the second-team offense. He’s stood out mostly for how he’s interacted with wide receivers. Other prominent names are Sills, Chris Blair, Jesse Matthews and Dylan Drummond.
Cousins has been accurate on almost every practice rep. In camp, he particularly caught the eyes of coaches and teammates by consistently creating results when going up against the first-team, starting defense. He accomplished this doing it primarily against the second-team offense. Though Cousins is only supposed to show the rest, Falcons’ quarterbacks coach TJ Yates said cousins’ presence in the QB room has been immeasurable.
Yates added that it’s been awesome to have Cousins in the quarterback room. Sullivan noted the change Cousins has already made for the better during camp.
As noted by defensive coach Raheem Morris, Cousins deserves brightening for how he has improved. He noted the difference in mobility of Cousins compared to last season. Cousins had a rough year, with several hurdles thrown in front of him. He fought through a ruptured right Achilles and elbow and shoulder injuries. Asking him to go deeper last season was an impossible task. He subsequently lost his starting job, throwing nine interceptions and just one touchdown pass in five starts.
Despite these setbacks, Cousins remains focused on his performance and is determined to contribute positively to the team. It doesn’t help that he’s due a $10 million roster bonus in 2026 to go along with his $27.5 million guaranteed contract this season. He has a full no-trade clause. This creates the reality that he will only be willing to sign off on a trade where he’s promised a starting job.
Cousins, after battling through years of skepticism, was inundated with optimism these days. As he talked about his injuries and emerging fitness, he shouted, “This is the greatest I’ve ever felt!” His resilience and adaptability to circumstances is not without merit, especially when you consider what he went through last season.
In light of his family life, Cousins shared a humorous anecdote about spending time with his sons, Cooper and Turner. “My boys are 7 and 6 and I’ve exhausted all the good movies I know of to watch,” he said. This light-hearted moment reveals his dedication not only to football but to his family life.
Cousins has endeared himself to his teammates by activities like sharing a passion for the animated film, “Surf’s Up.” He mentioned, “So, now [Sills and I] have this inside joke that we quote Surf’s Up together. It’s pretty corny, but it works for us.” This on-the-field connection shows how Cousins builds camaraderie off the field.
As training camp rolls on, Cousins is still focusing on developing his game and building connections with his teammates. Yates stressed the value of the team’s frankness to Cousins. This strategy has led to the best achievable outcomes during this awkward time of change.
I don’t fault him for wanting to leave and go somewhere new and try to restart. I [would] too, Morris noted. “It is what it is. That’s not his fault.” This admission of Cousins’ drive is indicative of how self-aware the front office was about Cousins’ desire to be a career starter.
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