The Athletic's NFL Quarterback Tier rankings done by Senior NFL writer, Mike Sando, is one of the integral off-season peeks into the NFL's thinking regarding the veteran quarterbacks returning for the season. Sando asks 50 NFL executives and coaches to rank the returning quarterbacks into five tiers. Their ranking is based on the average tier these decision-makers decided to place them. The tiers are defined as follows:
- Tier 1: A Tier 1 quarterback can carry his team each week. The team wins because of him. He expertly handles pure-passing situations. He has no real holes in his game.
- Tier 2: A Tier 2 quarterback can carry his team sometimes but not as consistently. He can handle pure-passing situations in doses and/or possesses other dimensions that are special enough to elevate him above Tier 3. He has a hole or two in his game.
- Tier 3: A Tier 3 quarterback is a legitimate starter but needs a heavier running game and/or defensive component to win. A lower-volume dropback passing offense suits him best.
- Tier 4: A Tier 4 quarterback could be an unproven player (not enough information for voters to classify) or a veteran who ideally would not start all 17 games.
- Tier 5: A Tier 5 quarterback is best suited as a backup. (no Tier 5 QBs in 2024, last used in 2022. You'll never guess for who.)
For Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, this year's rankings serve as a testament to his improvement over the past few years under Kevin O'Connell's system, as he's ranked 13th, which is in Tier 2 with a 2.38 average. Over the past few years, Cousins has steadily climbed from firmly Tier 3 to continuing to ascend closer to that top-ten status he flirts with year after year.
Cousins’ steady climb continues with a career-best 2.38 average, the third consecutive season his average has improved.
“He has gotten way more courageous in the pocket,” a defensive coach said. “I have to give him that. He understands football, can throw the ball on time, can make all the throws. Can he carry the team and put them on his back by himself? I haven’t seen that. Maybe he is more like a Purdy type of guy.”
An offensive coach pushed back on the Purdy comp.
“Purdy has done it with a really good roster, and it’s really cool what he has done,” this coach said. “I’m not trying to take any credit from that kid, but Kirk has done it with different people. He has consistently kept his team in it over time. That is where I give him the edge.”
Cousins was arguably playing as well as ever before suffering a torn Achilles tendon and signing with the Falcons. Atlanta’s decision to draft Michael Penix Jr. in the first round raises questions about Cousins’ future.
“I think Cousins will not be the quarterback in Atlanta next year,” one voter said. “Unless Atlanta wins multiple games in the playoffs, the season is a failure for Kirk, unfortunately, based on the desire to see Michael Penix.”
The potential of Cousins being ousted in 2025 has already been discussed, so let's stick to on-the-field play in this exercise.
Cousins has continued to be the standard when it comes to what is called "system quarterbacks." Last season, through his eight weeks, Cousins was third in Adjusted Net Yards/Attempt (ANY/A), third in completion percentage, second in yards (only behind Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa) and tied for first in touchdowns (also with Tagovailoa).
This off-season, the Falcons paid him a premium to not only bring them back to prominence but to potentially put them over the top in an NFC that is arguably wide open.
Head coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot have said on multiple occasions that Kirk was brought here to win a Super Bowl. Last week's moves bringing in safety Justin Simmons and edge rusher Matthew Judon are the latest examples of this regime believing that Cousins could be the quarterback to bring the Lombardi to Atlanta.
Whether that belief is true, one thing is for certain, Cousins has improved and, as long as the Achilles doesn't become an issue, the Atlanta offense should be prolific in 2024.
