How much should you expect Kirk Cousins to play in the preseason?

The fact this is a legitimate question for Atlanta Falcons fans after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in week eight of last season speaks to the work put into rehabbing. Cousins has made it clear from the start he wants to be involved with the offense as much as possible and this includes getting as many preseason reps as Raheem Morris will allow.

Friday night's game against the Dolphins offered us a look at how the Falcons will likely manage Cousins moving forward. There is little reason to risk the veteran's health for consistent meaningless snaps.

Falcons fans should expect to see very little of Cousins in the remaining preseason games

Giving Kirk Cousins a series to get ready for the season opener should be the extent of what we see in the remaining two games. There isn't any reason to risk the health of your franchise quarterback. This is especially the case with an established veteran who is coming off a torn Achilles.

If the games have more value than dull dress rehearsals there might be reason for a different outlook. How much value is in risking Cousins' health for extra reps in vanilla practice games? Atlanta's best and most likely approach is protecting the health of Cousins and giving him plenty of time to be ready for the Steelers in week one.

Atlanta's opening four weeks will be against the Steelers, Eagles, Chiefs, and Saints. This is about as brutal an opening slate as they could have been handed. To survive a tough early stretch Atlanta needs Cousins healthy and not to risk starting a rookie in this four-week stretch by forcing Kirk into the preseason.

What we saw on Friday night from Atlanta's quarterback rotation is what we should expect moving forward perhaps with an extra series for Cousins added in to help the veteran get ready for week one.