First Call: Kirk Cousins updates health with Falcons opening against Steelers; Ravens star endorses hip-drop ban

Wednesday’s “First Call” has an injury prognosis for Kirk Cousins in advance of the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. We also give contract details on a trio of big-play AFC receivers and a health update on a Baltimore Ravens star.

What can Kirk do?

The Steelers play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 of the NFL season. The team’s quarterback, Kirk Cousins, is rehabbing from Achilles tendon surgery he had at the end of October with the Minnesota Vikings.

Speaking with Jim Rome on Tuesday, Cousins admitted that he is not all the way back to where he was before the injury.

.@KirkCousins8 on where he's at in his Achilles rehab. pic.twitter.com/wG1QyqPQFW

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) May 28, 2024

“I’m not fully cleared yet — not 100%,” Cousins said. “But to get reps, throwing the football makes a meaningful difference. I feel good. It helps that I’m a pocket-passing quarterback. If I was a receiver, running back, pass rusher, I think there’d be even more concern. As a quarterback, my game is based on my right arm. Accuracy. My mind. So, whether the Achilles is 100% today or not, I can still be very effective as a quarterback.”

Cousins is holding out hope that he can get to the top of the mountain by the time the Steelers visit on Sept. 8.

“I’m looking forward to kind of closing the gap to get to 100% in the next couple of months,” he said. “We should still have a little bit of buffer time before the season starts.”

While many thought that the Steelers should’ve pondered Cousins as their quarterback for 2024 instead of Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, head coach Mike Tomlin insists that signing was never under consideration.

Duo disappears

We knew that Bengals star receiver Tee Higgins was going to miss organized team activities this week in Cincinnati. He’s still seeking a contract extension so that he doesn’t have to sign the franchise tag placed on him by the club.

But fellow pass catcher Ja’Marr Chase did not show up for the start of the team’s workouts on Tuesday either. He’s also seeking a contract extension.

Head coach Zac Taylor spent much of Tuesday downplaying their absences. 

“(Chase and Higgins) are still working hard elsewhere. They’ll be back at the right times,” Taylor said via ESPN.com. “We know what they’re about and that they’ll be ready and focused when it’s time to come back. … They have the information, so I know that they’re staying on top of it. When they get here and are able to get those reps, I know that those two guys are vets, and they’ll be in a real good spot.”

Chase and Higgins combined for 142 receptions for 1,872 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

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As a comp

Houston receiver Nico Collins may not have the career track record of those two, nor does he rise to the level name recognition of some of the other receivers we have heard as potential trade targets for the Steelers.

Those players include the likes of Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers, and Cortland Sutton from Denver.

Yet, Collins just inked a three-year extension worth up to $75 million with $52 million guaranteed. Agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed the terms to ESPN.com. 

pic.twitter.com/Isv4llqQ4k

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) May 28, 2024

Collins was a third-round pick out of Michigan in 2021. He’s coming off a career year that featured career highs with 80 catches for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns.

Dropping the hip-drop

Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews is praising the NFL’s decision to ban the hip-drop tackle. After all, he was injured on one of those plays last year.

Mark Andrews #RavensFlock

Concerned for either mid-foot injury or high ankle sprain or both.

Foot gets caught and I'm also concerned with the location on Andrews foot the defender hits creating a forced that could lead to a mid-foot injury. Great news that he walked off pic.twitter.com/RjQyxiHAF1

— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) November 17, 2023

That play ended Andrews’ 2024 regular season on Nov. 16 with 45 catches, 544 yards and six touchdowns. He came back for the AFC Championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after recovery from a fractured fibula and ligament damage.

“Taking that tackle out of the game is not a bad thing,” Andrews said, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “I think defenses can find a way to get around that.”

Andrews says that legislation was necessary given the injury rate on that type of hit.

“I’m always an advocate for making the game safer,” Andrews continued. “You look at the last five years; there’s been a lot of big injuries with that. So just bringing awareness to that type of tackle, I think, is good.”

A three-time Pro-Bowler, Andrews says he feels “fast and explosive” heading into 2024.