The Atlanta Falcons are approaching their second preseason game as they host the Tennessee Titans on Friday night. With each preseason game, fans are anxious to know whether the starters will be playing and how much they’ll be on the field. It’s a small hit of football for fans that have been deprived of it over the summer months, but a headache for coaches like Raheem Morris, who want to keep their players healthy when the regular season begins.
According to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. won’t play on Friday night. But when it comes to backing up Kirk Cousins, Morris’s decision may have come with an unintentional dose of disrespect.
Morris said Penix "for sure" won't play this week in the preseason game. "Kirk, we'll talk about," Morris said. But likely not. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) August 12, 2025
Raheem Morris Leaves Open Possibility of Kirk Cousins Playing in 2nd Preseason Game
Raimondi worded his initial tweet to say that Penix “for sure” won’t play, but left the door open for the possibility of Cousins playing against the Titans on Friday night. Although Morris said “We’ll talk about” the possibility of Cousins taking the field, Raimondi added that it was “likely not” going to happen.
It’s preseason for everybody, and perhaps Morris is just working on his mid-week injury report form after Cousins was listed in “a clerical error” last fall. But it is also a curious case considering what we already know about Cousins’s status with the Falcons.
Cousins would like to be traded before the start of this season, and the Falcons haven’t blinked in a staring contest with the other 31 teams. While it felt like Cousins would be released on multiple occasions, general manager Terry Fontenot has stubbornly held onto the soon-to-be 37-year-old to make up for his $180 million mistake last offseason.
The Falcons made the right move by not playing Cousins in the first preseason contest, likely preventing the veteran from suffering an injury that would tank his trade value. But they also know they need to keep him sharp in case Penix were to suffer an injury during the regular season.
This week’s joint practices against the Titans could give Cousins ample opportunity to face another defense. But the majority of the snaps will likely go to Penix, who has to prepare for his first full season as a starter.
These are all signs that Cousins could take as disrespect, serving as Atlanta’s franchise quarterback as recently as last December. But even if he has to drown his feelings in a few Roy Rogers, it may be his new reality until another team is willing to pay up.