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The Atlanta Falcons have found themselves mired in a slump, as they have lost four straight games to lose control of the NFC South. A big reason for their struggles has been the play of quarterback Kirk Cousins, which has led to calls for rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to replace him. Despite that, first-year head coach Raheem Morris doesn't seem intent on making any rash decisions right now.
Over the past four games, Cousins has been particularly brutal, as he has not thrown for a single touchdown, while throwing eight interceptions along the way. This would seem like a potential opportunity to turn the ball over to Penix, who was the eighth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, but Morris showed no interest in doing so when asked about Atlanta's quarterback situation recently.
“I told you right from the beginning, he's our future,” Morris said of Penix, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “And to be able to have the respect, to be able to have the confidence, to be able to have the wherewithal to support Kirk and all this stuff, too, it's a great learning lesson for him as well. So, when you go through all that process, you can look at different organizations [that have] pulled the trigger and put guys out there too early and it's gone terrible, and I don't want to be that guy.”
Raheem Morris, Falcons taking cautious approach with Michael Penix Jr.
Considering how Atlanta handed Cousins a four-year, $180 million contract in free agency, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that there's some hesitancy to send him to the bench, even though the team used a top-ten pick on Penix. Morris believes it's too early to make such a move, even given Cousins' struggles and the fact that Penix was arguably the most NFL-ready quarterback in his draft class.
For now, Morris and the Falcons are intent on finding a way to get back on track with Cousins under center, while Penix will continue biding his time on the bench. If Atlanta can't pick up a win against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15, though, Morris may ultimately be forced to make an incredibly difficult quarterback decision that he's managed to avoid to this point.
