The News about the Vikings’ Various Quarterbacks is Arriving at Breakneck Speed
The Vikings’ various QBs are making headlines. There’s a quarterback fivesome connected to the team: Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, Joshua Dobbs, and Sean Mannion (who lives on the practice squad).
Minus Mannion, every single one of them has generated significant news over the past couple days. Obviously, Cousins’ Achilles injury is the event that’s on everyone’s mind, but the news doesn’t stop there. On the contrary, that injury has largely been the catalyst for the other QB happenings in The State of Hockey.
The Vikings’ Various QBs and The News that’s Coming Fast and Furious
In a game at Lambeau Field on Sunday, October 29th, 2023, Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles. The end result is a lost season for Minnesota’s QB1. Had he continued playing at the same level in the final half of the season, Cousins would have had a very crisp case for being named as an All Pro.
The latest news is that #8 had surgery to repair his Achilles. The team’s Twitter relayed the word: “Kirk Cousins underwent successful surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon this morning at Twin Cities Orthopedics in Eagan, Minn. The surgery was led by Dr. Chris Coetzee. The team will continue to provide updates, as appropriate, during Cousins’ recovery process.”
Meanwhile, Minnesota is uncertain about when QB2 Nick Mullens will come off the IR.
Kevin O’Connell couldn’t provide an ironclad answer for when Mr. Mullens will return to action. Take a look at what the head coach had to say when discussing Hall, Dobbs, and Mullens: “Thought it was important in our process of evaluating our options at the position to make sure we solidified our quarterback room along with Jaren Hall and hopefully Nick Mullens coming back off short-term IR at some point. Do not know that timeline as of right now of when that would happen, but Josh gives us an experienced player.”
The news about Mullens’ uncertain recovery timeline directly fed into Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s latest trade acquisition, Joshua Dobbs. Smart and athletic, Dobbs will instantly become Minnesota’s QB2.
Fully picking up the O’Connell offense in less than a week is an impossibility, but the former Cardinal has been around the NFL. He has been employed in Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Detroit, Tennessee, Arizona, and now in Minnesota. The man has seen some stuff.
Add the experience together with his brains — his social media notes that he’s a rocket scientist, and he’s not exaggerating — and the Vikings have someone who can hopefully become a viable QB option before long.
Pivoting away from Dobbs then leads to the other bit of news. Kevin O’Connell has officially announced that Jaren Hall will be the starter on Sunday. He refused to make things 100% certain on Monday. By Tuesday, O’Connell had fully made his decision. Or, at the very least, was willing to share his final decision with the public.
Keeping up with all of that?
QB1 Kirk Cousins had successful surgery to repair his season-ending injury; QB2 Nick Mullens is still recovering and it’s uncertain when he’ll be back; QB3 Jaren Hall is going to get his first career start on Sunday in Atlanta; QB4 Joshua Dobbs is the latest addition to the QB room and he’s someone who inspires plenty of interest given his rare blend of athletic upside and mighty intellect.
Still not enough QB news? Fine, take a look at the word from NFL insiders Albert Breer and Dianna Russini. Per Breer, teams were calling about getting Commanders QB2 Jacoby Brissett in a trade. Per Russini, the Vikings were one of the teams making a call. In the end, Minnesota opted for Dobbs since the cost was significantly less.
And, let’s not forget, the Vikings’ next opponent dropped this bit of news: Taylor Heinicke, not Desmond Ridder, will be getting the start on Sunday.
The Hall vs. Heinicke showdown will take place on Sunday, November 5th. The game will be housed in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. A Vikings victory would mean O’Connell’s men would get to experience the joy that comes from their first winning record of 2023.
Jaren Hall Has One Big Shot
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.
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