MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. -- Kirk Cousins is in a period of unfamiliarity. Everything around the Minnesota Vikings quarterback is new, from his physical surroundings to his teammates and coaches to the offense that's being built around him.

Obviously, that foreign feeling will eventually pass. As Cousins progresses through Minnesota's voluntary offseason program, he's building a rapport with his playmakers while working to get to a place where the playbook, terminology and his reads become second nature.

Right now, everything is a work in progress, and that's OK. Measuring the achievements he's made and realizing what needs to be done to reach his next benchmark are predicated on small yet significant steps.

"I've come a long ways in about six weeks," Cousins said. "I still have a ways to go and that's to be expected. No surprise. It's helped that the organization and the locker room has welcomed me with open arms. They've been very accommodating, very supportive. That's certainly made the transition easy. Not only for me, but for my wife and our family. Continue to be excited to be here. Just got to keep taking steps and keep getting the offense and playbook mastered."

Six weeks in and five OTA practices under his belt, Cousins is able to chart his growth through the Vikings' 11-on-11 sessions by learning the tendencies of his pass-catchers and who to go to in certain situations. From working his deep ball with Stefon Diggs last week to finding Laquon Treadwell in the end zone for a diving touchdown catch on Wednesday, Cousins is steadily uncovering the full scope of the talent he has at his disposal.

It's something he's been working on for a while, even before the Vikings got together in an official capacity for their offseason program. In April, Cousins linked up with Diggs and Adam Thielen for an impromptu throwing session in Georgia and began to forge a bond and a rhythm with his top two receivers.

While it's too early to tell if those extra reps are paying off, the amount of time it will take for Cousins and his receivers to get on the same page cannot be overemphasized.

"I know that it doesn't hurt," Thielen said. "I think something like that is just a jump start to a long journey of getting on the same page. I think people, they underestimate how much time, how much effort and how much repetition it takes to get on the same page with a quarterback."

And it's not just Cousins who has a mountain of information to digest about his new team. OTAs have given Vikings coaches and players an up-close look at their quarterback as they steadily begin to figure him out.

"The ball jumps off his hand better than I expected to be quite honest with you," offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said last week. "I knew he had a strong arm coming in. I didn't know he was able to drive it as well as he does. He has a very compact release. The ball just jumps off his hand because he has a short stroke back. All of those things you look for in good quarterbacks."

It's more than just his accuracy, arm strength and release that have earned positive reactions from Cousins' teammates in these practice sessions. As he's grown more comfortable in his surroundings, Cousins has shown those around him what kind of leader they have in the huddle -- someone whose vocal energy appears to be infectious.

"Anytime you are new to an organization, you feel your way around a little bit," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "He's doing that some, but he is leading. He is taking charge. He has a lot on his plate right now. We have so many different things. Everything is new to him, whereas a lot of the guys it's not new. He's doing a good job in that role."

The early takeaways have been noticeable for Cousins, too. To date, Minnesota spent four of its five OTAs working on situational football in the red zone, an area Zimmer has emphasized heavily over the past two years.

Establishing a rhythm inside the 20-yard line is going to be critical for Cousins' success. With two of the NFL's most targeted pass-catchers in the red zone at his disposal in Kyle Rudolph and Diggs, Cousins uses these sessions to perfect the timing of his throws under pressure and learn who might be his best option in a tight window.

Being able to take away tangible examples of that has been critical for his growth. It's a sign of his early progress in the Vikings' offense.

"There was a play (Wednesday) in the red zone where I didn't throw it to (Rudolph) and right away after the play Kevin Stefanski, my quarterback coach, was saying, ‘Hey, in that situation, you might want to give Kyle a chance. Even though he looks covered, you have to throw him the ball. He is open. He can prove you right,'" Cousins said. "It is learning experiences like that we have to have out there so we can get those reps and get those coaching points then hopefully the next time give him a chance to make a play for us."