Where Kirk Cousins Ranks in NFL Top 100 and The Athletic's QB Tiers

Maybe it's the clutch late-game performances that helped the Vikings get to 13 wins last season. Maybe it's the Netflix bump, with "Quarterback" shining a light on the extensive preparation that helped make that season happen, not to mention the physical punishment he endured as the league's most-hit passer. It wasn't the statistics; those were down compared to his career norms.

Whatever the case may be, it sure feels like Kirk Cousins is getting more love than he ever has as the 2023 season approaches.

To illustrate that point, let's take a look at where Cousins ranks in this year's edition of a couple prominent lists: The player-voted "NFL Top 100" and Mike Sando's annual Quarterback Tiers at The Athletic, which are voted on by coaches and executives.

In the top 100, Cousins comes in at No. 42 this year. That's a huge jump from last year, when he was 99th on the same list. The year prior, he wasn't on it at all. Cousins made the list in five consecutive years from 2015 to 2020, but his highest ranking was 58th. To be 42nd this year suggests that players across the NFL took note of Cousins' toughness and playmaking last season.

Cousins also earned his highest-ever rank in the eyes of the coaches and execs who vote for Sando's QB tiers. There, he ranks 12th at the position this year, taking the last spot in Tier 2. 50 voters had an exact 25/25 split for Cousins between Tiers 2 and 3.

For some context, this is Cousins' first time cracking the second tier since 2017. In six of the previous seven years, he was a Tier 3 guy. Just two years ago, he was ranked as the league's 18th-best QB in the same space.

Again, it's hard to know exactly why Cousins is being viewed more favorably heading into this season, but it's also not particularly surprising. Even though his numbers slipped a bit in his first year in a brand new offense, it felt like Cousins played a bit less robotically under Kevin O'Connell. More and more, he trusted his receivers to make plays even when they weren't wide open.

And of course, it all comes down to winning. Fair or not, quarterbacks will always probably get too much credit for winning and too much blame for losing. Cousins leading the league in game-winning drives and fourth-quarter comebacks can only do good things for the way he's perceived around the league.

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