Jaren Hall Capped Off a Near-Perfect Preseason
This offseason was all about the quarterback. Of course, the three quarterbacks it has most been about include Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins, and J.J. McCarthy. Seemingly out of nowhere, Jaren Hall also made it about himself.
Jaren Hall Capped Off a Near-Perfect Preseason
The 2023 NFL Draft pick struggled out of the gate for the Minnesota Vikings. His first preseason action against the Las Vegas Raiders was not a good showing by any means. Hall looked as though he had failed to really utilize the first season he spent as a professional. Despite being thrust into action before being ready, the development hadn’t taken hold.
Fast forward to where we are now and Hall couldn’t look like a more different quarterback. His perfect 158.3 rating against the Cleveland Browns was going to be impossible to best. However, he came out against the Philadelphia Eagles and put up another strong showing. Hall’s 17-for-25 effort included a pair of touchdowns and a 116.9 rating.
The Vikings quarterback started the preseason off on a foot that had him looking like a potential cut candidate. He has elevated himself to be impossible to cut, and trying to squeak him onto the practice squad seemed improbable. With the amount of quarterback-needy teams, Hall seems destined to be a backup for someone.
Minnesota must decide as to how they will handle Hall. It seems likely that he will be kept as the third quarterback. He may also elevate himself to the backup job ahead of Nick Mullens. The veteran hasn’t really ever been a high-quality option, and he put Minnesota in plenty of tough spots last season.
Kevin O’Connell would have preferred to have his rookie quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, in the fold. Of course that isn’t going to happen after he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Darnold could take the role and run with it, but if he leaves an opening, then there’s a shot for Hall to parlay his preseason success into future opportunities.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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