The Green Bay Packers have a hole at backup quarterback that must be addressed after Malik Willis signed with Jeff Hafley and the Miami Dolphins in free agency, and the market is currently so thin that it might be difficult for this regime to find any answers that are worth a damn.
Rather than looking for another young player with upside yet to be mined, some analysts believe the Packers may go looking for a more experienced option who can operate an offense with aplomb, even if he doesn't seem to have the same playmaking ability out of structure that Willis did.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell listed former Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins as a possible Willis replacement, naming the Packers as the best possible fit for the veteran signal-caller even though he would not be handed a starting spot.
ESPN links Packers to signing Kirk Cousins to replace Malik Willis
Barnwell cites the fact that Cousins, who excels off play-action, would go to a Packers team that runs as much as any team in the league. Jordan Love has also missed time in each of the last two seasons. Cousins would be more prudent than another developmental prospect in the NFL Draft.
In two seasons and 22 starts with Atlanta, Cousins threw 28 touchdowns against 21 interceptions. The increased turnover rate, paired with his already limited mobility being sapped as a result of his Achilles injury, has made it very difficult for him to find work as a starting quarterback.
Green Bay's decision to go with Willis, coupled with some of the younger quarterbacks they added in the NFL Draft, shows that Matt LaFleur typically values quarterbacks with a bit of mobility, if he can get them. Cousins is many things, but mobile is not one of them.
Cousins will also need to be convinced of what Green Bay is building, as his analyst work and age suggest that he might be looking at what his post-football options are. However, a motivated Cousins could be the best safety blanket Love could have asked for in what is already a very thin market.
Losing Willis is going to take a chunk of talent out of Green Bay's quarterback room, but with Cousins coming to the rescue, the Packers can breathe easy knowing their quarterback room will at least remain halfway decent if Love needs to sit a few games out.