There are many ways to address the quarterback position in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons decided to take the short-term approach by signing an established starter in Kirk Cousins.
The downside of that approach is you are going to end up with the same vacancy in a few years. Cousins is nearing 40 years old and age is undefeated in sports.
Planning for the future should be a priority for Terry Fontenot, Raheem Morris, and co. They need to know what they are going to do following Cousins' eventual departure. The solution should be finding a high-upside quarterback who can take a backseat and develop over the next few years.
The question is, when should they draft that quarterback? Should they do it immediately?
The Falcons should strongly consider drafting their future franchise quarterback in 2024
There is no time like the present. If you are the front office, you know what this draft class is and you do not know what the 2025 class is going to be—those are the facts.
Sure, you can predict what things could be like—initial impressions are that it is a weak QB class—but you do not know who is going to tank or rise throughout the upcoming season.
If Fontenot and Morris have a quarterback who they love—even if it is in the first round—then they need to draft him. We have all seen firsthand how important the position is; drafting a player who can immediately take over is necessary.
In an ideal scenario, you draft a quarterback a year before Cousins departs and have him take over immediately, but, as we all know, things never go ideally. If you have a first-round quarterback sitting behind Cousins for three years, then so be it.
The Falcons should not be scared to take a quarterback at any point in the 2024 NFL Draft.