Kevin O'Connell's plan for his top two quarterbacks heading into training camp is clear. The Minnesota Vikings' coach will open camp, and presumably the regular season, with Sam Darnold as the starter and first-round pick J.J. McCarthy as the QB in waiting.
McCarthy will take over at some point, but will be brought along gradually and without a known timeline for when he will ascend the depth chart.
What isn't as clear is who will be the third quarterback the Vikings keep. Veteran Nick Mullens made three starts and played in five games last season after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles'. Jaren Hall, a fifth-round pick in 2022 from BYU, was the original replacement for Cousins before he also was injured. Hall ended up playing in three games and starting two.
Given what was witnessed in the OTA practices that were open to the media, and the three-day minicamp, it looks as if Mullens has the inside track to sticking and that the Vikings might try to sneak Hall onto their practice squad. That's assuming he clears waivers.
The basis for this is that Mullens was paired with Darnold as one of the Vikings' top two quarterbacks and McCarthy worked with Hall and other backups. This isn't cause for concern about McCarthy, but rather the long game O'Connell is playing in making sure he doesn't rush the 10th-overall pick in the April draft.
Mullens, 29, will be entering his seventh season and his third with the Vikings. He got his first start as a Viking last season and proved he wasn't afraid to make any pass. The issue was whether he knew where the ball was going.
The Vikings were 0-3 in Mullens' starts and he had one more interception than touchdown passes (8-7). Minnesota was 1-1 in Hall's starts, but his win came in a game at Atlanta when he suffered a concussion in the first quarter and was replaced by Josh Dobbs. Hall finished the season with 20 pass attempts, one interception and no touchdowns.
The Vikings acquired Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders in late August 2022 for a seventh-round draft pick because there was concern that they didn't have a capable backup to Cousins. Mullens is entering the final season of his contract and it's possible the Vikings could take a late-round draft pick from another team for him just before the regular season.
But that will be only if McCarthy has shown enough progress for the Vikings to be comfortable with him opening the season as Darnold's backup. The other possibility would be if Hall shows enough improvement that he could be used in the backup role but that seems like a long shot.
Hall was always going to be a project and there was no intention for him to play last season until it became absolutely necessary. How much time can O'Connell and his staff give to Hall now that they have gone to work on developing McCarthy and getting Darnold up to speed to start the regular season?
This is where having Mullens as a backup is a luxury because while his future in Minnesota is short-term, he is a low maintenance QB who knows the system. Hall, meanwhile, could clear waivers and end up spending the season on the Vikings' practice squad.
That might not be the worst thing for him but if he gets an opportunity in the preseason and looks sharp he could be claimed by another team. If O'Connell doesn't want to lose Hall, he could play Mullens, Darnold and McCarthy in the preseason and not let any other team get a long look at him.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com.
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