Falcons' Morris: Cousins medically cleared following Achilles tear

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Thursday that quarterback Kirk Cousins has been medically cleared from the Achilles tear he suffered last season, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

However, the Falcons will be diligent with Cousins and other players returning from injury in their "modified reps," Schefter notes.

Morris added that the plan is to hold Cousins out of all preseason games, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN.

"There was no limitations," Morris said of Cousins' participation in team drills following Thursday's practice, according to Adnan Ikic of the Falcoholic. "I think it was pretty much helpful from how we go about (the) business of not keeping people away from him."

He added: "Some of his limitations are coming out of individual drills around movement. Making sure we don't wear him out to the point where we want to get all the team reps with him. He's fired up, the team is fired up."

Cousins suffered the injury in Week 8 of the 2023 season with the Minnesota Vikings. The 36-year-old was having a tremendous year before the ailment, totaling 2,331 passing yards and 18 touchdowns in eight contests.

Atlanta signed Cousins to a four-year, $180-million deal with $100 million guaranteed this offseason. Cousins is now the ninth-highest-paid signal-caller in the league, per Over The Cap.

The Falcons have struggled to get competent quarterback play since Matt Ryan departed following the 2021 campaign. Atlanta has failed to rank in the top 20 in passing yards per game over the last two years, with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder failing to eclipse 3,000 yards in a single season during that stretch.

Along with the addition of Cousins, Atlanta shocked the world by selecting Washington's Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall in the 2024 draft. Morris said after the pick that Cousins doesn't have to worry about the rookie signal-caller, and that the starting job is solely his heading into 2024.