Kirk Cousins did not hesitate to open up about his injury fears. As the situation is a bit sensitive after his altercation with Maxx Crosby, Cousins no longer wants to take the risk of exposing himself to injuries. And the teams must be all ears as Cousins dropped a straightforward yet strict rule at the joint practice on August 18.

“Well, my elbow got hit, and I joke with Maxx. I say, ‘You can touch me anywhere you want, just don’t touch my arm,’” he said in the presser after the joint practice. “If anything, hit me in the hips or the ribs actually good because it simulates what I need to feel. I said the elbow and the shoulders, where I could sprain something pretty easily.”

Back in Atlanta, Cousins took a hit during the team’s Week 10 game against the New Orleans Saints. During the game, he hurt his right shoulder and elbow. Before Atlanta’s road game against the Denver Broncos, Cousins appeared on the Week 11 injury report as a limited participant for one day with right shoulder and elbow injuries.

So, when Crosby hit him in the arm during the joint practice with Houston, it might have led Cousins’ unpleasant memories to flash back. So much so that the quarterback took the initiative of letting Crosby know during Tuesday’s practice, days after his tiff with the defensive end.

Earlier this month, Crosby was seen hitting Cousins on his throwing arm. It led the quarterback to lose his temper after what was reportedly a second hit on a tipped pass. Cousins grabbed the defensive end’s jersey and exchanged words with him before teammates separated the two. The duo was suspended from team drills at practice the next day. 

On Tuesday, Cousins looked visibly upset, and we got to know the reason later. The quarterback admitted that he is very particular about these instructions and keeping himself safe, since it has forced him to miss multiple games in each of the past three seasons.

“I got some scars from some hits in real games, where helmets go into armpits and things, and it ruins your season,” he said. 

Well, NFL teams have been vigilant when it comes to protecting their quarterbacks during practice. That is why they make them wear red jerseys, to differentiate them and to warn defenders to avoid contact. Cousins, however, questioned why he should wear one if the warning isn’t being honored.

“You can hit me anywhere you want, or I might as well take the red jersey off because you’re playing with an understood rule that if it’s not understood, then what are we doing?”

And now more than ever, Cousins needs to stay healthy as he will be the starting quarterback in Week 1.