Implications for Vikings from Gardner Minshew Trade to Eagles

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Aug 28, 2021
Gardner Minshew
Image Courtesy of Gardner Minshew on Instagram.

NFL roster cuts are on the horizon — every team must shrink to 53 men by August 31 — so roster moves are happening as the preseason winds down.

A trade hit the NFL news stratosphere on Saturday morning as the Americana-laced Gardner Minshew was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 6th-Round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With Trevor Lawrence firmly locked in as the future in Jacksonville, Minshew was considered a tradeable asset — even though he would’ve been a marvelous QB2 for the Jaguars who have a porous offensive line.

Pertaining to the Minnesota Vikings, no direct connections exist in the deal. However, with the profuse struggles by Jake Browning — who was the presumed QB2 for the month of August — and Kellen Mond still in a ‘raw’ state of development, Minnesota will keep its eye on the free-agent quarterback market during the next four days.

As a result of the Minshew trade, Nick Mullens was released by the Eagles.

Mullens stint didn’t last long as a crowded house exists in Philadelphia at quarterback. The team now employs Jalen Hurts, Joe Flacco, and Gardner Minshew. Hurts will likely start in Week 1 for the Eagles at the Atlanta Falcons, but it is unclear if Flacco or Minshew will man QB2 duties.

In any event, Mullens is a free agent. He is the owner of bizarre stats like this:

Mullens, 26, started 16 games with the San Francisco 49ers — a full season worth of work — before trekking to Philadelphia for a handful of months. Full disclosure: He didn’t play very well for the Eagles this preseason.

Yet, the man has experience — something the Vikings lack at QB2 right now. Sean Mannion, the Vikings backup in 2019 and 2020, is employed by the Seattle Seahawks while the rest of the NFL is slim pickings for bonafide backup quarterbacks. If general manager Rick Spielman “had” to sign another quarterback today but was not interested in Mullens, the only realistic possibilities are Blake Bortles and Ryan Finley. Arguably, either man would be a reasonable addition, especially Bortles with his AFC Championship jaunt in the 2017 season.

But Mullens is young and can throw for volume yards. Mind you — this is not an endorsement for Mullens as a Case Keenum-like savior in Minnesota. He’s merely more battle-tested than Jake Browning, Kellen Mond, and Nate Stanley. Mullens has tossed 25 touchdown passes to 22 interceptions in his career with a 64.5% completion rate. Too, with the Vikings, he’d have a supporting cast of Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and Irv Smith Jr. to support him.

A lot of his success to date is derived from the dreaded “garage time” portion of games, but who cares? A QB2 is generally asked to manage a game, not carve it up as is expected by a QB1. Current QB1 Kirk Cousins has never missed a professional football game to injury, so this QB2 “who can they get?” stuff may all be moot.

Browning is close to an automatic roster cut — or at least practice squad designation — with Mond gaining some on-the-field momentum Friday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. Allowing Mond to develop and learn with some trial by fire amid a hypothetical Cousins absence is probably the best option for his personal development.

But if games must be won by a QB2 in the 2021 regular season that has eyes on the postseason, auditioning Mullens is a sensible strategy.

Otherwise, several other quarterbacks should hit the waiver wire on August 31. Mullens just got a jump on the rest.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday along with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

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