Is Kirk Cousins playing in the Falcons final preseason game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars?

The Atlanta Falcons play their final NFL preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday night (kickoff at 7pm ET) and are hoping to go into the 2024 season on a high by registering their first win of the year after defeats to Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins so far.

Why hasn’t Kirk Cousins played for the Falcons yet?

Of course, the Falcons haven’t been helped by the fact they have been without the services of new quarterback Kirk Cousins in their first two preseason games, and that again be the case when they line up against the Jaguars.

In his final season with the Minnesota Vikings, Cousins tore his Achilles in the Week 8 game against the Green Bay Packers last October, which brought his season to an end. He was placed on the injured reserve list by his former team, and has been working his way back to fitness since then.

The injury didn’t deter the Falcons from signing the 36-year-old on a $180-million, four-year contract in March, although it has been clear for a few weeks he wouldn’t be available for their preseason games.

When will Cousins be fit to play his first Falcons game?

Speaking in July, Cousins offered a positive update on his recovery and stated that he hoped to feature for his new team before the start of the regular season.

That idea, however, was dismissed by Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris, who said the target was for Cousins to be ready for the start of the 2024 NFL season.

It would therefore be a major surprise to see Cousins in action against the Jaguars. There is, however, hope he will be ready to play in the Falcons’ first game of the regular season, which is at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, 8 September (kickoff at 1pm ET).