One time at camp…

Andy Dalton and Kirk Cousins entered the league just one year apart. They’ve bounced around to a handful of teams, making Pro Bowls here and there, getting sent away for younger models and then doing it all again. Now they’re both in the NFC South, holding on to starting roles and sitting atop stat charts.

It’s a long way from the dorm room the two shared as camp roommates in college. The TCU (Dalton) and Michigan State (Cousins) quarterbacks both served as counselors for the Elite 11 camp in 2010 and began a friendship that has lasted through years in the league, from shared Pro Bowls (2016) to matchups that has seen Dalton go 1-2-1 as a starter against Cousins as a starter.

“The first time I played him was in London and we tied. A long trip over there to end in a tie,” Dalton joked. “So, a guy that I followed for a long time, his college career, then all everything that he’s been able to do in the NFL. I mean, talk about a guy that has played at a high level for a long time, has been steady and he’s been a ton of fun to watch.”

Canales’ interactions with Cousins’ have been fewer and farther between, but nonetheless impactful. Following the 2019 season, Canales and the Pete Carroll Seahawks staff coached the NFC team at the Pro Bowl. Cousins was one of the NFC quarterbacks that year, one of his four Pro Bowls.

“He was so conscientious about everything and just the relation, the way he went about it, he connects with people,” Canales recalled Wednesday of his time with Cousins. “I remember a bus ride, you know, we’re going to one of the practices and they allowed us to have our kids on the bus and (Kirk) sat there with my daughter, Ashby who was probably 11 years old at the time and sat there and had a great conversation. So just a great human too. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

The week in Orlando also gave Canales an up-close look at the process that has defined Cousins’ career.

“He’s so dialed in, he’s a student of the game. He understands coverage, he understands the different attacks that a defense tries to put on their offense. He understands his system.

“The rhythmic way, the efficient way that he plays, getting the ball out quickly, finding those quick completions knowing when he can take his shots, he kind of just has that sense about him. And he’s so accurate. He’s been that way for his career. So, I have so much respect for him.”