Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins previously spoke about pre-offseason workout workouts with his new receivers. One of those receivers has spoken more recently about the effort to get to know the man who will be the team’s fifth starting quarterback since the 2015 season.
“It was awesome,” Adam Thielen said of the time that he and Stefon Diggs spent working out with Cousins in Atlanta, via Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I think the biggest part of that was to get to know him on a personal level and just try to get that first initiation of how he likes guys to run routes and what he feels comfortable doing, and then just try to get on the same page. I think it was a really good start for Diggs and I to get a jump start on that.”
Part of the transition entails getting to know how Cousins does things, especially when the Vikings receivers have had in little more than two calendar years to work with Teddy Bridgewater, Shaun Hill, Sam Bradford, and Case Keenum.
“I think everybody individually does things a little differently,” Thielen said. “As a quarterback, every quarterback has their strengths and their weaknesses. I think the thing [Cousins] really brings to the table is the way that he leads, and his passion for the game of football. It has been really fun working with him and learning this offense together.
“As a receiver group, we’re really excited to keep getting some reps with him, and especially in some live situations. It has been a while since we’ve gone against a live defense so we’re excited to do that.”
Thielen added that Cousins is “an easy guy to be around,” that Cousins “makes it easy” for the receivers, and that he “gets along with everybody.”
It’s a lot easier to do that when the team is 0-0. But if the Vikings keep winning like they did with Keenum at the helm, the relationship will get better and better.