Falcons Quarterback Uncertainty Highlighted by CBS Sports QB Rankings

It's not too surprising that Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks ranked as low as they did

It's hard to rank a QB high when they aren't performing well or available | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Around the NFL’s Nick Shook took an in-depth look at every quarterback who started a game in 2025, organizing all 63 passers into tiers and ranking them from top to bottom. For the Atlanta Falcons, who turned to two different starters last season, the evaluation wasn’t very encouraging.

Neither quarterback managed to crack Shook’s top 25, reinforcing the lingering questions surrounding Atlanta’s situation under center.

Kirk Cousins is the Falcons' first quarterback on the list, coming in at No. 28, three spots below his 2024 ranking, and firmly in tier 4. 

“Kirk Cousins exceeded most expectations when he took over for an injured Michael Penix Jr., initially keeping the Falcons offense afloat before settling in, finding a rhythm and looking more like the version of Cousins the Falcons thought they'd signed in 2024 than he did near the end of that season.” Shook wrote.

Cousins only saw the field in 2025, due to injuries to Michael Penix Jr. He started in Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, a game that Penix missed with a bone bruise. Once Penix partially tore his ACL in a Week 11 matchup with the Carolina Panthers, Cousins closed out the season as the starter.

The veteran quarterback was 5-3 in games he started in 2025, including a 4-0 record to end the season. He finished the season completing 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, five interceptions, and an 84.8 passer rating. 

Despite the hot finish to the season, Cousins is expected to be cut ahead of the start of the new league calendar, saving Atlanta cap space.

Penix is placed in the tier right below Cousins, coming in at No.34, four spots below his 2024 ranking.

“Michael Penix Jr.'s second season was a disappointment and ended in similarly disheartening fashion via injury.” Shook writes.

Penix started just nine games in Atlanta in 2025, exiting his ninth game with an injury. He had a 3-5 record as a starter in the eight full games he played last season. He finished the season completing 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions and an 88.5 passer rating.

Before going down, Penix quietly owned one of the better touchdown-to-interception ratios in the league.

The overall outlook under center remains cloudy for the Atlanta Falcons as the page turns to 2026. Penix has expressed confidence that he will be ready for Week 1, and for a team searching for a franchise QB since the departure of Matt Ryan, next year will likely be make-or-break for Michael Penix Jr.