Despite Kirk Cousins' status, Falcons' pick of Michael Penix Jr. remains quite smart

There may be a method to the madness over in Flowery Branch. When the Atlanta Falcons took former Washington star Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Atlanta almost burned to the ground again. The NFL world was shocked and in disbelief over the selection. It had nothing to do with Penix, who most loved his game. It had everything to do with Kirk Cousins' arrival.

When Atlanta added Cousins in free agency this past offseason, the expectation was that he would be this team's starting quarterback for the next four years, hence the four-year deal he signed with the Dirty Birds. He left the Minnesota Vikings for many reasons, including not having his replacement drafted behind him. Fate would have it, that is exactly what the Falcons did by selecting Penix at No. 8.

In time, we will all get over the awkward nature of it all. However, I think Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot deserves a little credit for his controversial draft pick. Signing Cousins was smart to help this near-contending team get over the top. The same principle applies to then drafting Penix. Cousins is not a kid and is coming off a major injury. Plus, Atlanta is expected to contend right away.

With Cousins having just been medically cleared from his torn Achilles, Penix is even more valuable.

It was a priority for new Falcons head coach Raheem Morris to have a quarterback succession plan.

Kirk Cousins' health is more of a reason Falcons picked Michael Penix Jr.

To be fair, Cousins rarely gets hurt as this is the first major injury of his career. Health had not been an issue up to this point. Then again, all it takes is one injury for a player's career trajectory to change. For as much of an elevator of talent as Cousins projects to be in this offense, what if he gets hurt again? Atlanta will be a similar team to last year if Taylor Heinicke got the nod to start in place of him.

While I still like Heinicke's game, he is only a stop-gap quarterback at this stage of his career. There is nothing wrong with that, but that's just the way it is. As for Penix, I saw what he did at Washington and at Indiana before that. It may only be college football, but I recognize his leadership traits and a director of traffic from the quarterback position. He may not become a superstar, but he should work.

Right now, it is great to see the Falcons have a plan in place at the quarterback position. A lack of a succession plan in a post-Matt Ryan world largely led to their undoing. It didn't help Arthur Smith keep his job, but he had a whole other mess of fish to fry. Let's start by winning multiple games in a row. Either way, Atlanta should thank its lucky stars to have a veteran like Cousins and a rookie like Penix.

As long as the Falcons extend A.J. Terrell sooner rather than later, I think they will be in great shape.