Headlines: $100 million in the bank, plus Campbell’s onside kick, the NFL’s biggest improvement

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Today, Let’s talk Kirk Cousins’ bench, the best offensive players and Dan Campbell’s controversial onside kick.

Atlanta’s Big Change: Cousins ​​was on the bench for Penix

After drafting Matt Ryan third overall in 2008, Atlanta watched him start 232 of 235 games before his departure after the 2021 season. In the three years since, the Falcons have gone through Marcus Mariota (5-8), Desmond Ridder (8-9), Taylor Heinicke (1-3) and this year’s 7-7 start with Kirk Cousins.

Last night, the team announced that rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. would be added to that roster for Sunday’s game against the 2-12 Giants. You should know:

• Cousins’ performance made this necessary. In his last five games, the 36-year-old has thrown nine interceptions and posted an EPA per dropback, which is behind only Jameis Winston (also on the bench) and Tommy DeVito. Atlanta went 1-4 in that span.
• Meanwhile, Penix was impressive. As The athlete‘s Jeff Howe wrote earlier this month that the No. 8 pick “blown away the Falcons’ performance, from the way he carried himself in the building in the offseason to his work on the practice field in the regular season.” Season.”

What Dianna hears: What next for cousins?

As Cousins ​​told us on the Scoop City podcast this summer, he was on his way home from a Falcons draft night party at Mercedes-Benz Stadium when offensive coordinator Zac Robinson called with the news: Atlanta was in, to draft a quarterback.

One reason Cousins ​​signed with the Falcons was because there was no quarterback-in-waiting behind him – he saw it as a place where he could settle in long-term. With last night’s announcement, There’s a real chance he’ll be a hit in Atlanta.

The biggest obstacle to a split: Cousins’ contract, which is effectively a two-year deal. Releasing him after the season would cost the team $65 million in dead money, according to Over the Cap. However, if they keep him through 2025, they could cut him after this season and only take a $25 million dead cap hit.

Also, don’t forget that Cousins ​​has a no-trade clause, so any possible trade will require his approval.

Back to you, Jacob.

The best offensive players in the NFLSo far 🏆

As Cousins’ play deteriorated, I wanted to think about the opposite: the most improved players at each position. We’re starting the offensive today. Let’s go.

QB: Sam Darnold, Vikings. As Mike Sando explains, the 27-year-old improved the most when playing from the back. Prior to 2024, his completion percentage, yards per attempt, and TD-to-INT ratio while catching up declined. Not this year, like he was better when running:

RB: Bijan Robinson, Falcons. The first-rounder had great moments as a rookie in 2023, but was also a leader in fumbles and struggled in pass blocking. This year, Robinson avoids fumbles entirely, improves as a blocker and remains explosive, but ranks third in forced missed tackles. After finishing 38th in his rookie year, Robinson is currently ranked second with a PFF grade of 91.7, behind only Derrick Henry.

WR1: Jerry Jeudy, Browns. Expectations were high after the Broncos drafted him 15th overall in 2020, ahead of CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson and Brandon Aiyuk. He could always run routes…

…but in Cleveland he finally shows why he was so highly selected. Since the Browns traded away Amari Cooper, Jeudy’s 804 receiving yards trail only Ja’Marr Chase, and the fifth-year pro ranks fifth in receiving yards after surpassing 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Unfortunately, the Browns are moving on to Dorian Thompson-Robinson this week.

WR2: Jauan Jennings, 49ers. Improvement has been the theme of his career, as the former seventh-round pick’s PFF grade has increased each season, starting at 66.2 in 2021 and now at 84.4, ranking him 12th at his position. Matt Barrows explains how Jennings keeps getting better.

TE: Jonnu Smith, Dolphins. Since the return of QB Tua Tagovailoa in Week 8, Smith has 504 yards (second among TEs in that span), 49 receptions (third) and five touchdowns (first). His PFF grade of 78.1 is the best of his eight-year career.

OT: Charles Cross, Seahawks. As number 9 in 2022, he is playing the best football of his career. After mediocre PFF grades in his first two seasons (63.1, 67.6), he’s at 82.9 this season, ninth among offensive tackles.

G: Jordan Meredith, Raiders. He went undrafted in 2021, switched between both guard plans and is now a top-10 guard by PFF grade. Since earning a starting job earlier this year, he hasn’t allowed a sack in his 574 snaps.

C: Connor McGovern, Bills. This season, the former guard was tasked with replacing longtime center Mitch Morse. He was outstanding, ranking eighth in PFF rating (71.1) and not allowing even a single hit in 840 snaps against Josh Allen. Buffalo’s impressive line was the unsung hero of their recent win in Detroit.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the most improved defensive players. Speaking of Bills Lions…

Onside kicks: Repeating Dan Campbell’s decision

As Ted Nguyen notes in his review of the best/worst coaching decisions of Week 15, we love Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness. Also his trust in his players.

Although the comeback was unlikely either way, Ted writes that Campbell’s onside kick attempt with twelve minutes remaining was still reckless. Campbell seemed to regret it, saying after the game: “Of course, sitting here now after they got it to the 3-yard line, of course I wish I hadn’t done that, but it’s, as it is.”

Had this happened before the rule changes requiring teams to call onside kicks in advance, Campbell’s decision could have worked better. (Remember Sean Payton’s surprise onside kick in a Super Bowl?) In the 2000s, surprise onside kicks had a 60 percent success rate, according to one study. Kicks expected? Only 20 percent. Several rule changes have further eroded the benefits of the onside kick, dropping last season’s recovery rate to just 5.2 percent, according to TruMedia.

Even without the surprise, the kick was a fingertip from Mack Hollins as Detroit stole a possession:

On the other hand, the chances of a successful recovery are so slim that this call – early in the fourth quarter – would likely result in better field position for Buffalo. Let’s compare each argument and then I want to hear from you:

On the one hand: You can’t trust the Lions’ defense. Up to that point, Buffalo’s offense had dominated the injury-depleted Lions, punting just once in eight possessions. The Bills had scored five touchdowns and attempted two field goals. By risking likely 30 yards of field position, Detroit had a chance to steal a possession from Josh Allen. Trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Campbell was confident in his kicker’s abilities. If it fails at this point, at least the shorter field means less clock is used, and if it works, Campbell’s typical risk-taking pays off.

On the other side: you must Trust the Lions defense. The odds of getting another stop, or at least preventing Buffalo from a field goal, had to be higher than the odds of recovering an expected onside kick. (On that day, Detroit forced three field goal attempts and a punt.) So far this season, only three of 45 such onside attempts have been successful across the league, just 6.7 percent.

Which side are you on? Click here to share your perspective. We will publish the best answers in Friday’s newsletter.

Most clicked yesterday: The athlete‘s latest power rankings.

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(Photo: Gregory Shamus, Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)