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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, one of the best pocket passers in the NFL?
Patrick Mahomes thinks so.
The generational talent who signed a 10-year megadeal with the Kansas City Chiefs after taking his team to the past two Super Bowls has found Cousins to be a prime model for his study of the game.
In an interview with NFL Network, Mahomes spoke on how he’s watched other quarterbacks in the league and tailored aspects of each passer’s game to his own. Mahomes, unprompted, placed Cousins next to Tom Brady as pocket passers he’s watched to help him develop his abilities in the pocket.
“I watch guys that play the game differently than I do, guys like Tom Brady, guys like Kirk Cousins — guys that play the game from within the pocket and have success that way,” Mahomes said. “I try to find the way to make it my game. Take away little things that they do in their game to make it my game.”
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Cousins Among NFL’s Most Accurate Passers
Mahomes’ study of Cousins isn’t as unfounded as NFL fans may think.
Cousins has quietly been the most consistently accurate passers in the league. His career completion percentage of 67% lands him second all-time behind Drew Brees among quarterbacks with at least 2,500 career pass attempts. Cousins was ranked the third-most accurate passer in the league in 2020 by Football Outsiders, behind Brees and Ryan Tannehill.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman asserted that Cousins has the right set of tools as an ideal fit in the team’s offense, specifically when given time in the pocket.
“We have a lot of things on the priority list. I know, just assessing where Kirk was last year, and putting him in a system that pretty much emphasizes what he does well with the play-action and establishing a running game, his accuracy is second to none, I believe, in this league, when he has time in the pocket. Not only short and intermediate [throws], but also when he throws down the field,” Spielman said in the 2020 offseason.
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Reinforced Offensive Line Could Catapaul Cousins
Last February, NFL fans witnessed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers make Mahomes look mortal in the Super Bowl. Mahomes was on the run and gave every last effort to create plays for himself.
However, the strategy of having a mobile quarterback and cutting costs on the offensive line can only sustain itself against mediocre defensive fronts as the Buccaneers smothered Kansas City 31-9. The Chiefs remedied its pass-blocking woes by adding 12 new offensive linemen with over $62 million awarded in guarantees, per Over the Cap.
Minnesota didn’t have the means of chasing big-ticket offensive linemen like Joe Thuney, Mitchell Schwartz or Orlando Brown, but the Vikings did reinforce the offensive line with a pair of rookies who are expected to be upgrades over their predecessors.
First-round pick Christian Darrisaw took first-team reps in training camp on Wednesday and is poised to be the starting left tackle going forward. Third-rounder Wyatt Davis should provide the biggest improvement at left guard if he can get healthy and start working with the first team. Oli Udoh has also figured into the guard competition with 2020 starter Dakota Dozier.
Regardless of how the offensive line looks come Week 1, Cousins should see an improvement in his pass protection — a development that has landed Cousins dark horse MVP consideration.
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