NFC Notes: Kirk Cousins, Andy Dalton, Michael Penix Jr., Falcons, Panthers

Falcons

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins struggled after first appearing on the team’s injury report in Week 11 with a right shoulder and right elbow issue. GM Terry Fontenot said they are unaware if Cousins dealt with other injuries.

“He was on the injury report that one week,” Fontenot said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “When a player is injured, we put him on the injury report and that’s the only time he was on the injury report. So as far as we’re concerned, that’s the only injury we’re aware of.”

Falcons HC Raheem Morris made the switch to Michael Penix in Week 16. He explained the amount of turnovers Cousins committed led to their decision. 

“The reason we made the change when we made it was because we had some bad decisions going along that way,” Morris said. “It was well-documented. The interceptions that we threw was well-documented, the amount of touchdowns that we had at that point. And it was well-documented, the trust and the confidence I had for us to be able to bounce back, so we didn’t do those things.”

As for Cousins’ $40 million cap hit in 2025, Fontenot said they signed him to his four-year, $180 million contract with the expectation for him to be their starter. In the end, the general manager said they are comfortable with their allocated funds at quarterback. 

“We understand that it’s not ideal to have a quarterback at that cap number,” Fontenot said. “Now, when we gave him that contract, the expectation was for him to be the starter at this point. And so that is a good number for a starting quarterback. But now that he’s the backup, when we say we’re comfortable, we’re talking about the total funds allocated to the quarterback position, and that’s already baked in.”

Panthers 

The Panthers allowed just 36 sacks last season after conceding 65 in 2023. Dave Canales said their offensive line is a strong point of the team, while they need to build around guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis.

“That’s huge, right?” Canales said, via Darin Gantt of the team’s site. “I mean, I think one of the strengths of our team was the offensive line play, and even with that group consistently changing, we had some guys that had a lot of versatility that helped us, so I think it’s really important that we look at those guys first, and try to make that a priority for us so that we can continue to help Rob and Damien do what they do best, having somebody that can be in there and direct traffic.”

Panthers OT Taylor Moton is entering the final year of his contract and carries a cap figure of $31.34 million next season. When asked about restructuring Moton’s contract, GM Dan Morgan said they could leave his contract alone right now and address a possible extension. 

“I think we’re fine either way,” Morgan said. “We can leave the contract how it is and we’re fine from that perspective. Obviously, we love Taylor. We love everything about him. But right now, we’re just going to stay put, and (executive vice president of football operations) Brandt (Tilis), myself, and Dave, we’ll get together at the right time and talk about his future in terms of long term.”

Morgan is confident the offensive line will continue to improve. 

“We’re excited about that group,” Morgan said. “And they’re going to continue to get better.”

Panthers

The Panthers re-signed veteran QB Andy Dalton to a two-year, $8 million deal. GM Dan Morgan thinks Dalton’s presence as a backup is invaluable given his experience and chemistry with Bryce Young. 

“His résumé and what he’s done in this league, to have a quarterback in a backup role that’s won as many games, he’s been in playoff games. He brings that experience. So, first and foremost, having him back for that reason,” Morgan said, via PanthersWire. “And then also, him and Bryce [Young] have such a good relationship. The chemistry’s great in the quarterback room. So that’s not something that we really wanted to mess and we’re just excited to get him back.”