After years of trouble at the quarterback position following their Super Bowl loss, and even more so following Matt Ryan's departure, the Falcons signed former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins. Despite his season ending Achilles injury, he was still one of the most sought after QBs on the market in the offseason. Directly following their deal, it was viewed as an overpay for an aging Quarterback coming off of an injury and joining a new system. Still, the team made the signing and would have to live with that decision.
So, going into the 2024 draft with the 8th overall pick, little to no fans were expecting the team to pick a quarterback, and the reaction when they did mirrored that thought. Fans across the country - even those who are not Falcons fans - were shocked. Why waste a Top 10 pick on a 23 year old backup with consistent injury issues ranked outside of the top 30 on some big boards, especially when you have a roster built to win now in desperate need of defensive help? Penix likely will not play until Cousins' contract is up, when the now rookie will be 27. The team will now have wasted two major assets - money and draft picks(that are both crucial to a franchise's success) - on quarterbacks in the same offseason.
Even worse, by the way, is that it was reportedly a complete shock to Cousins. Either of these moves separately wouldn't exactly be smart, especially if they made good use out of the other asset. For example, if instead of drafting Penix they drafted a top tier defender that they are so obviously in need of. Or, if instead of signing Cousins, they took Penix at 8 and used the money on, you guessed it, a top tier defender. But now, Cousins will never be able to fully play free knowing there is a rookie eagerly waiting behind him, And Penix's prime when he finally gets the opportunity to start will likely be wasted with him learning the ropes in the big leagues.
The move, in a sense, is understandable. But even with the understanding that the team wanted a strong backup candidate in case Cousins was shaky coming off injury, it doesn't make sense to take a QB as early as 8 when they easily could have traded back and gotten him. Along with that, there are many different signal callers available still in free agency who could serve as backups. If the team is worried about getting a QB for when Cousins' contract is up, there are still 3 more drafts before that time, and they will have several chances to take their future franchise leader. But no. The team decided it was the best option to confuse all the fans, their starting quarterback, and quite frankly the person they drafted by taking Penix at 8, and they will have to live with the consequences of their actions once again.
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