This Cousins plays into why the Vikings signed him in the first place. But the Redskins knew this version of Cousins, too -- the one who outperformed his shortcomings in bursts, only to regress toward the mean.
It's part of why Washington didn't view Cousins, who was 24-23-1 as a full-time starter over three seasons, as the long-term answer at quarterback. The dilemma Cousins has encountered throughout his career is rooted in stability, having to answer whether these extended windows of great play are for real and a sign of what's to come on a consistent basis, or an outlier that's eventually going to even out with some bad games.
No one knows that better than the Redskins, who experienced the peaks and valleys with Cousins that included stretches of greatness that weren't sustainable.
"When you're 7-9, you know it's hard to say, 'Wow, this guy really was outstanding,'" former Redskins coach Jay Gruden said after the 2017 season. "Kirk had his flashes where he was really good. From a consistent standpoint, over the course of 16 games, you know we're 7-9.
"He did some great things, threw for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. I think he's a very, very good quarterback without a doubt, but as far as getting us over the hump from 7-9 to winning a division with all the injuries that we had, I think he competed and did some good things."
