Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Cooper Rush

Thursday, July 10, 1:51 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said in an episode of the Netflix series "Quarterback" that he felt "a little bit misled" when the Falcons took Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL draft. It came just after Atlanta signed Cousins to a contract worth at least $100 million guaranteed to be their starter in 2024 and beyond. "I had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we loved it there if both teams are going to be drafting a quarterback high," Cousins said. The 36-year-old led the team to a 6-3 start before injuring his right shoulder. After that, the Falcons lost four straight games, with Cousins throwing eight interceptions and no touchdowns in that stretch. He was eventually benched in Week 16 for Penix, who heads into 2025 as the unquestioned starter, with Cousins backing him up. Cousins could get traded during training camp, but for now he's useless in fantasy as a backup.

Wednesday, June 25, 12:10 PM

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush struggled during offseason workouts and put the ball in harm's way far too often as he learns a new offense, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. Rush was thrust into a starter's role during OTAs with Lamar Jackson missing all but one of the team's nine practice sessions, which shortened his learning curve. The former Dallas Cowboy signal-caller will be Baltimore's No. 2 QB with second-year quarterback Devin Leary competing for a spot on the practice squad. If Jackson misses time due to injury during the 2025 regular season, the Ravens will surely be hoping that Rush has cleaned up some of the mistakes that he's showing early on as he learns the offense. The 31-year-old started nine games for Dallas in 2024 with Dak Prescott injured and threw for 12 TDs and four interceptions. He has the experience but lacks the mobility that Jackson has in spades.