Falcons May Have Stumbled Into Kirk Cousins’ Surprise Fix — and It Was Hiding on the Practice Squad
With Drake London ruled out for Week 12 due to a PCL sprain, the Atlanta Falcons activated rookie Dylan Drummond from the practice squad. And now that London will miss Sunday's matchup with the New York Jets, Drummond was signed to the active roster since he had no elevations left.
In the 24-10 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 12, Drummond logged 15 offensive snaps and caught all three of his targets for 18 yards. Sure it wasn’t explosive, but it was exactly what you want from a depth receiver who’s thrown into the fire with Casey Washington serving as a healthy scratch.
A 100% catch rate, all three grabs moving the chains, and no miscommunications with a quarterback whose offense relies heavily on timing and precision. And it didn’t take long for quarterback Kirk Cousins to let everyone know how he felt about the 25-year-old undrafted free agent signing.
Drummond’s rise isn’t a breakout story (at least not yet) but it’s unquestionably real.
Dylan Drummond signed to Falcons' active roster before Week 13 matchup due to connection with Kirk Cousins
What began as a pair of anonymous elevations in Weeks 8 and 9 (seven total offensive snaps, zero targets) has evolved into something the Falcons suddenly need with their superstar receiver sidelined. And he was the one who got the nod over fellow undrafted wide receiver Nick Nash.
Cousins’ comments weren’t the typical veteran QB pat on the back for a practice-squad guy. They read like someone who has built reps with a player he believes can function in an NFL offense.
That matches what quietly played out behind the scenes: weeks of scout-team work, growing chemistry, and the type of reliability that sticks in a quarterback’s mind. And that comfort helped the four-time Pro Bowler shine in Michael Penix Jr.'s absence.
Atlanta didn’t plan for Drummond to be part of the story, but both he and Cousins have clearly been preparing for the possibility. However, the team did just sign Cousins' former teammate K.J. Osborn to the practice squad, so the fact the Eastern Michigan product was the one activated is telling.
But if Cousins trusts him (and the early evidence supports that he for sure does) it’s the logical thing to do, especially since the 37-year-old will be the Falcons' starter for the rest of the season.
Now I get that no one’s saying Drummond is the next long-term starter or the next hidden gem about to blow up the league. But he is a player who earned a quarterback’s trust, seized the moment when finally given one, and presented the Falcons with a decision they didn’t expect to face.
Because sometimes, the best solutions aren’t the ones you spend months planning for. Sometimes, you find the right guy exactly where you weren’t looking, and the Falcons may have just found one in Dylan Drummond.
Joseph Ossai Just Changed Everything for the Bengals — and He Might Be Playing His Way Right Out of Cincinnati
The most welcome trend to arise from the Cincinnati Bengals' 32-14 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving was how well the defense played for the second time in five days.
A quick turnaround on the heels of a demoralizing loss could've been enough to sink Cincinnati. After the Ravens answered a field goal on Joe Burrow's first drive back with a touchdown march, it looked like the rout could be on at M&T Bank Stadium.
While Burrow deserves a ton of credit for coming back way sooner than anticipated, orchestrating two second-half TD drives, and reinstating a winning standard for Cincinnati, the defense needs its flowers, too.
In fact, one player I've been critical of ad nauseam has started to ball out, and I couldn't be happier to be proven wrong.
'Waiting for Godot' Joseph Ossai has finally arrived for Bengals defense
I thought I was on point after the Bengals' loss to the Steelers a few games ago when it felt like the notion of a resurgent Cincinnati defensive front was an illusion. Aaron Rodgers' time to throw was super long, and any pass rush generated was a result of sticky coverage on the back end.
Then the last two games happened. And Thanksgiving in particular happened. And Joseph Ossai, who the Bengals paid $6.5 million to stick around this year, had the breakout performance Who Dey Nation has longed for since he was a third-round pick back in 2021.
This sack on Lamar Jackson was no fluke. It was Ossai being a human heat-seeking missile who actually finished a pass rush, knocked the ball out, and gifted Burrow's offense a short field.
Ossai stormed the backfield later as a free rusher on an exotic blitz dialed up by defensive coordinator Al Golden. Lamar Jackson caved in the face of the pressure, and crumbled to the turf as Ossai pummeled him for another sack.
Even though the Bengals are engaged in a perpetual contract spat with Trey Hendrickson, I'm convinced they'll either franchise tag him and ride it out, or just let him walk. They refuse to pay him, and Hendrickson has been injured lately anyway.
When it comes to Joseph Ossai, if he maintains his current form, he'll command a decent-sized payday elsewhere. Now that 2023 first-rounder Myles Murphy is starting to come on in his own right, and Cincinnati also invested a Day 1 selection in rookie Shemar Stewart at defensive end, Ossai could be the odd man out. He's now at five sacks on the season, tying his career high. The arrow is indubitably pointing up.
Based on Ossai's longer tenure, inferior draft status, and how desperately de facto GM Duke Tobin needs a reversal in perception of his latest rookie classes, I feel like Ossai will price himself out of Cincinnati by season's end.
All I could remember Ossai for was his 15-yard penalty on Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship Game that sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. That was the last time the Bengals graced the postseason.
Could we be seeing Ossai rewrite his legacy in real time? You just wonder where this was all season, but the same can be said for the entire Bengals defense that looks like they know how to play football again.
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