Infamous Ex-Viking Waived by Browns
Three straight coaching staffs have now thrown in the towel on former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond.
Infamous Ex-Viking Waived by Browns
The Cleveland Browns were the latest outfit to say ‘no thanks’ to Mond as a backup quarterback, as Kevin Stefanski’s team reportedly waived Mond with roster cuts looming on August 29th.
Browns reporter Brad Stainbrook tweeted Thursday, “Browns have waived QB Kellen Mond.” And that was that.
Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson— who was a darling for Vikings fans leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft — appears to have won the QB2 job behind Deshaun Watson, and there evidently wasn’t enough room on the roster for Mond, who enters his third season as a pro.
Mond will now hit waivers, and if no team claims the 24-year-old, he’ll hit free agency.
The NFL’s preseason kicked off on August 3rd in Canton, Ohio, with the Hall of Fame game featuring the Browns and New York Jets. Mond was front and center versus the Jets — and played dreadfully. To the naked eye, the rookie Thompson-Robinson already looked leaps and bounds more productive, so the Mond waiver news this week is wildly unsurprising.
The Vikings evaluated Mond in training camp and last year’s preseason, leading to a trade involving Nick Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders. The moment Mullens set foot in Eagan, Minnesota, he became the Vikings QB2 without having to toss a preseason pass.
Mond was drafted by the Vikings former leadership regime in 2021 as a possible contingency plan for QB1 Kirk Cousins. Fans endlessly debate whether Cousins is actually a worthwhile franchise quarterback, so the addition of Mond was viewed as a grand what-if.
The Vikings waived Mond on August 31st, 2022, and he latched onto the Browns roster via waivers the next day. He didn’t play any regular season snaps for the 2022 Browns — even with the aforementioned Watson suspended for 11 games — and now hopes to latch on elsewhere before too long after the Cleveland waiver.
The Browns have no shortage of ex-Vikings, though. Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, and head coach Kevin Stefanski have somewhat recent ties to Minnesota. Current Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah also joined the Vikings in 2022 after a stint in Cleveland.
Mond has attempted three regular season passes as a pro, all with the Vikings in 2021.
Oddsmakers peg the Browns for 9.5 wins in 2023.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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