NE Atlanta News

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — With the Atlanta Falcons' first preseason game approaching, quarterback Kirk Cousins reflected on his exhibition-game debut.

The clock must roll back to 2012 for that moment. Cousins was a fourth-round draft pick for the then-Washington Redskins, who also selected Robert Griffin III with the No. 2 overall pick that same year. Griffin got the start, but Cousins came in shortly before halftime. Washington was up by four points on the road against the Buffalo Bills and Cousins' first action had a bit of situational pressure.

"I remember Kyle Shanahan said in the headset, 'How do you feel? First drive, two-minute drill, here we go,'" Cousins said. "I remember Shawne Merriman was playing, and I thought, 'Man, I've come a long way if I'm going against Shawne Merriman.'"

As an outside linebacker, Merriman was entering his eighth year in the NFL. He had three Pro Bowl appearances, a first-team All-Pro designation and a Defensive Rookie of the Year trophy already on his resume. He also had a league-best 17 sacks in 2006.

Nevertheless, Cousins avoided getting sacked in the game. His final stat line was 9 of 22 for 74 yards passing. He also threw one interception to Bills rookie cornerback Ron Brooks.

Cousins played the whole second half in addition to the one series prior to halftime.

"We ended up winning, 7-6," Cousins said. "It was not a productive game, but we moved the ball and I had fun and got a lot of things covered. It was a good memory."

Now that Cousins is about to begin his 13th season, it is likely he will not play in the Falcons' preseason opener Friday (7 p.m. ET) against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. The starting role will probably go to Michael Penix Jr., who the Falcons drafted at No. 8 this year.

Penix is just one of 12 rookies who will soon be making their debut in a Falcons game-day uniform.

"It's a big memory for a lot of these guys," Cousins said. "For me, it was."

Cousins saw limited field time in that 2012 season, starting one game and appearing in three others but ultimately became Washington's starter in 2015. He remained there through 2017 before signing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. It wasn't until this past offseason that Cousins joined the Falcons with a four-year, $180 million deal.

Oddly enough, Friday will mark exactly 12 years since Cousins' first-ever professional snap on Aug. 9.

"I remember thinking," Cousins said, "'Well, if they cut me, I got to wear an NFL helmet for one game, and it was a dream just to be out there.'"