One of the most exciting things about the NFL in July and August is just about every team has legitimate reasons to look forward to the upcoming season. At the very least, there is justification to be optimistic.

Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler argued Tuesday that qurterback Kirk Cousins and the team’s offense is the biggest reason the Atlanta Falcons should be optimistic heading into the 2024 season.

“Cousins should provide an immediate boost under center. He’ll have plenty of weapons at his disposal, including a trio of top-10 picks in running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts,” wrote Fowler. “Those offensive weapons are all entering the fall with lofty expectations, and with only one ball to go around, the onus will remain on Cousins to feed his playmakers the rock.

“If he does so, Atlanta’s ceiling on offense could rival some of the NFL’s top units.

“With nearly 40,000 career passing yards under his belt, Cousins could be the final piece to the puzzle that elevates Atlanta to its first division title since 2016.”

London and Pitts have the type of talent to both reach 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. As for Robinson, his yards from scrimmage ceiling appears to be closer to 2,000 yards. With Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke behind center last season, and in an offense where he rarely received a target beyond the flat, Robinson had 1,463 yards from scrimmage.

It will be Cousins’ job to get the Falcons playmakers the ball down the field and in open space, where they can make big plays with their legs.

Cousins has recorded six seasons in his career with at least a 65% completion percentage and 4,000 passing yards. As long as he’s healthy, Cousins could easily surpass those totals in 2024 with the amount of talent he has to work with in Atlanta.