Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris continues to double down on Kirk Cousins as his starting quarterback. Much of that is certainly down to the team’s genuine belief on Cousins, but part of it is down to protecting the future of rookie Michael Penix Jr.
Morris told reporters on Thursday that Penix could get his chance “when it’s time,” but that he did not want to take the risk of exposing the rookie quarterback to too much too soon.
“I told you right from the beginning, he’s our future,” Morris said of Penix, via 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.”
Morris makes a reasonable point, as plenty of young quarterbacks have been thrown into action early and struggled to cope with it. There is no reason to compromise Penix’s future by giving him the starting job if the Falcons do not fully feel that he is ready for it. Their issue right now, however, is that Cousins is struggling, and the Falcons run the risk of falling out of the NFC South race if that does not improve rapidly. In the last four weeks, the veteran has thrown eight interceptions without finding the end zone.
Morris has not completely shut down the possibility of a quarterback switch. He has made it clear, however, that no change is close, at least for now.
