PFF has been on a tear, ranking every position and all the starting lineups this offseason, and now they’ve entered the more hyper-specific realm of ranking players in certain situations. In this recent exercise, they ranked quarterbacks by time to throw. They used 2.5 seconds as a threshold, grading the QBs on their passing grades when letting the throw go in under 2.5 seconds and their grade when holding it for more than 2.5 seconds. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins looks to get better the more time he has, ending up tying for the second-best PFF grade (89.3) when throwing the ball after 2.5 seconds. And, of course, he is tied with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the player who led current Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and head coach Raheem Morris to a Super Bowl ring in 2021.
| Rank | Player | Team | Passing Grade |
| 1 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | 91.2 |
| T-2 | Kirk Cousins | Minnesota Vikings | 89.3 |
| T-2 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | 89.3 |
| 4 | Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers | 88.1 |
| 5 | Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys | 86.9 |
| 6 | Geno Smith | Seattle Seahawks | 86.5 |
| 7 | Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins | 85.5 |
| 8 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | 84.9 |
| 9 | Joe Flacco | Cleveland Browns | 82.8 |
| 10 | Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers | 82.0 |
Stafford and Cousins in similar straits when they are kept clean in the pocket is no surprise. Both are surgical in their own ways. Stafford’s aggressive nature and arm talent allow him to make virtually any throw on the field. Cousins can process information quickly and deliver the ball on time and on target consistently.
One aspect of that time to throw number does concern me with Cousins. Cousins showed pocket mobility last season we had not seen from him before. He extended plays by maneuvering the pocket and finding a window to let the ball go. He looked very comfortable in his second season in Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense. However, with this Achilles injury, can we still expect that same pocket presence and maneuverability?
Hopefully, the Achilles is nothing to worry about and Cousins can win just like he did in 2023, but it is a concern to look out for if he does struggle out of the gates in 2024.