No one has ever confused Kirk Cousins for Lamar Jackson, but Cousins thinks he can run the ball effectively, and may start to do it more often.
Cousins said today that he thinks he’s capable of making big plays with his legs, and that it’s something he’s always wanted to do more of.
“I think I’m a little more capable to run than I give myself credit for, or than maybe I tap into,” Cousins said. “I’ve always gone back and tried to study how can I be more of a runner. But honestly it’s a razor’s edge because you start to be that guy, are you staying healthy? Are you missing open people? Is Justin Jefferson not getting the ball anymore because I’m running? As long as you’re moving the football and you’re effective I don’t think you need to hunt those opportunities, but certainly when they present themselves, guys are covered, it’s the right coverage to do it against, certainly you want to instinctively be ready to take off and make a play. It’s an area of my game I’d love to tap into a little more, but I’ve been saying that a few years now, and I think ultimately you’ve just got to play the way you know how to play.”
So far this season Cousins has seven carries for 23 yards and one touchdown. He’d like to run just a little bit more to make opposing defenses have to game plan for it.
“The key is, it stresses defenses when they have to account for the fact that this guy may run,” Cousins said. “Put it in the defensive coordinators’ and the defensive players’ mind that, ‘He may take off here and we’ve got to account for that.’ You’ve seen all different styles have success in this league. Guys who are never going to run go off and have tons of success, but if you can do it, if it’s something you can threaten a defense with, I think it doesn’t hurt.”