A Case for Kellen Mond

I think I've been somewhat clear where I'm at. I think your statement "Here's the guy I want and think will make the team better" is a bit of a red herring here. That premise focuses on a narrow path at the exclusion of many others. As well, the premise of dumping of functional QB without a replacement plan is flawed. I don't think Cousins is going to get us a ring, especially at that price, which means that we have to make some fundamental changes there. FA is bad idea for QBs, as guys like Turbisky are going to get 8 figures a year, so that means finding a rookie. And yes, I recognize that there's risk in that, and I'm fine with it. So I think you have to cut bait and move on from him. He's not the answer, and his cost will keep us from building a great team around him. I'm not sure there's a guy that's going to make our team better. It's really about guys plural being put on the field that makes our team better. Our team is about what it is with Cousins at the helm. I agree he wasn't a top 3 issue for us, but we're in a cap bind making it difficult to fix the defense, and to be honest, we still need OL improvement to get the most out of him. I suspect KOC can probably scheme around some of his weaknesses, more so than Zimmer ever did, but I don't think it's going to be enough, and I'd rather build a great team around a younger player with room to grow than a flawed team around Cousins. In order for our functional QB to get us a ring, Kwesi is going to have to hit a lot of home runs this draft, because we won't have a ton of cash to spend in FA. You're talking at least 5 above average rookie starters, not to mention some unexpected surprises from guys like Wyatt Davis, Surtain, etc. I don't see that happening, and I suspect most on this board don't either, and that is what needs to happen in order to create a winner around our functional QB.
 
With that in mind, I trade Cousins for what I can get. If 1st round picks are in the cards (which I think we could get at least 1 in this market), I'd want one for 2023 as a priority, even over 2022 if only one was an option.  I may bring in a bridge QB, but I'd likely want to run with Mond for 2022 to see what we have and how much he improves over the course of a season. If we're bad, we're drafting high with a second first round pick that can be used to move around if needed in 2023. Not to mention, that class looks deep right now. You can redshirt the new QB under Mond in 2023 for at least a few games before giving him the reigns. However, if Mond shows a lot of promise, then we have our answer and have 2 day 1 picks to plug immediate needs around him. 

On that same note, I'm probably moving on from Theilen, Smith, Cook, and well anyone old that may have value. I doubt any of those would net a day 1 pick, but I could see all of them getting day 2 picks in 2022 that could be used for players that would likely be starting in 2023 with a reasonable window opening in 2024.