26. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins has been solid for the Atlanta Falcons this year, but the Falcons did not want to have to start Cousins. Michael Penix Jr is obviously out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, so his injury-prone factor has unfortunately revealed itself.
Cousins was signed back in 2024 and did begin his Falcons’ career on a high note, but he regressed enough for the team to pull the plug on the experiment and go to Penix, who has not been all that special thus far, and this injury kind of stalls his development.
Kirk Cousins, though, knows how to play the position and is obviously someone who is going to win from the pocket. He’s likely not the QB he was just two or three years ago, but he’s still probably one of the 32 best passers in the NFL and could perhaps string together a few more strong performances for the Falcons, who are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
25. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Tyler Shough has completed just under 67% of his passes as a rookie, which is a stellar mark and a sign of what could be to come for the QB. The New Orleans Saints beat the Carolina Panthers in Week 15.
Shough has shown a lot thus far and is absolutely going to get the offseason as the Saints’ QB. There is no guarantee that he breaks out more in 2026, but the early returns have been great, and it is hard to not be excited if you’re a Saints fan.
All in all, the first year of the Kellen Moore era has been mildly successful. New Orleans still has a bad roster and a ton of work to do to fix the talent holes, but the foundation may have been set with Shough and Moore.
Shough is no. 5 in our QB power rankings. He’s obviously not been great or anything, but he’s been about as good as you can possibly ask from a rookie QB being thrown into this situation.