Mangini: Despite early worry over late-game play, Cousins has ‘upside’

Eric Mangini has seen a lot of Kirk Cousins in his time as a coach and analyst, and he respects Denver Broncos general manager John Elway for being aggressive in pursuit of the soon-to-be former Washington Redskins quarterback.

But the Fox Sports analyst told “Schlereth and Evans” on Tuesday he was unsure of Cousins’ late-game abilities early on.

“I was a little bit hesitant to sign off on him because I felt like late in games and in bigger moments I didn’t see him overcome those situations,” Mangini said.

But Mangini, who counts Brett Farve and Tom Brady among the quarterback he’s coached, said upon further evaluation of Cousins, he not only has been effective in late-game situations but also has the ability to continue growing as his career progresses.

“I think he has the chance to continue to grow. He strikes me as the type of guy that does learn and grow from the experiences that he has,” Mangini said. “So, I like that upside a lot.”

Last week, Cousins fate as the Redskins quarterback was all but sealed with reports that Washington agreed to a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for Alex Smith.

Cousins, who had played the previous two seasons under the franchise tag, told ESPN that Washington head coach Jay Gruden told him the club couldn’t “draw the process out through March,” when the new league year starts, so they had to move on.

“They couldn’t afford to wait so they had to make a move. They wanted to do a deal, but because I wanted to go a little longer it put them in a tough spot. So, they made the trade,” Cousins said. “I understood that.”

Mangini said he too understood why the Redskins perhaps didn’t value Cousins as highly as other teams, saying “sometimes it can be easy to not appreciate him as much as you probably should.”

But the former head coach also said he understands how teams who’ve had quarterback issues of recent, like the Broncos, see Cousins as someone who can help the team “significantly.”

“In terms of Denver going to get him, I respect the fact that John Elway’s been aggressive in trying to solve the quarterback problem. He’s gotten veteran free agents. He’s drafted high,” Mangini said. “Look, it’s not an exact science. You don’t hit on all, even if you were great quarterback yourself.

“But I could see him taking those aggressive steps to try to solve the problem. If he feels like Kirk’s that guy, he’s shown a willingness to attack it. I definitely see them being in the mix if it that’s what he decides.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.