One football publication Monday suggested the Washington Commanders should sign former Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Though the Commanders own the second overall selection in April’s NFL draft, and though the top three expected selections are quarterbacks, Pro Football Focus writer Sam Monson thinks Washington should pursue and sign Cousins.
Yes, Cousins is probably the top quarterback in the 2024 free-agent class. Yet, Cousins is rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon, and at age 35, that must be given serious weight.
Secondly, it is also true Washington has not posted a winning record since Cousins was the starter in the 2015 and 2016 seasons when Washington went 9-7 and 8-7-1.
Commanders’ new head coach, Dan Quinn, will want to win quickly, and who can blame him? Yet, he does have Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator to develop a young quarterback. If Washington makes a good selection and they coach him well, their next quarterback could be their guy for the next decade.
It is understandable that Kingsbury and Quinn might not want to start a rookie quarterback in 2024. Cousins would be tempting to get the Commanders back on track. Quinn might want to instruct a rookie quarterback for one season, yes. But does Quinn really want to draft a quarterback that high and sit him for three seasons behind Cousins?
If they are going to sign Cousins (hypothetically speaking), then why draft a quarterback with the second overall selection? They could trade down a few spots, select the best offensive tackle, and pick up a couple of extra draft choices, helping rebuild their roster.
Monson actually suggested the Commanders trade down six spots with the Falcons. Monson then utilized this scenario with the PFF Mock Draft Simulator.
Here is what transpired in Monson’s mock draft while implementing the trade. You will notice the Commanders also gained selections number 43 and 74.
Personally, I doubt Cousins would want to return to Washington, seeing how some were quite vocal in opposition to him, unable to accept the readily proven fact that Cousins was indeed a much better quarterback than Robert Griffin. Cousins has remained in the top half of the NFL’s starters, while Griffin proved unable to develop into an NFL passer.