Purple Rumor Mill: QB Trade for Vikings, Dalton Risner on the Bubble, Jaren Hall
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s Vikings rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the August 24th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: QB Trade, Dalton Risner on the Bubble, Jaren Hall
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the purple team, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week. All past rumors can be read here.
Rumor: The Vikings should swing a trade for quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
The Vikings lost rookie passer J. J. McCarthy for the season last week to a torn meniscus, leaving Sam Darnold as the undisputed QB1, with reservists quarterbacks Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, and Matt Corral waiting in the wings.
And according to CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, Minnesota should explore a trade for former Viking Taylor Heinicke, who currently lives on the Atlanta Falcons’ depth chart behind Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr.
“Three years removed from a spunky full-time gig as the Washington Commanders’ starter, Heinicke’s better suited coming off the bench, though he’s suddenly an odd fit in Atlanta, where the Falcons’ first-round pick of Michael Penix Jr. has left him a distant No. 3 behind Kirk Cousins,” Benjamin wrote and nominated the Vikings a trade landing spot for Heinicke. “His experience (29 career starts) could be more valuable elsewhere as other teams scrounge for last-minute backup help.”
If the aforementioned Darnold encounters an injury and misses significant time, Minnesota may explore a trade for Heinicke or another veteran. In the meantime, however, the club employs Mullens as QB2, and he’s more productive than Heinicke.
Rumor: Dalton Risner may not be a part of the Vikings’ 2024 roster.
Minnesota signed two players this week, Matthew Cindric and Chuck Filiaga, who just so happen to play Risner’s position. Both men feature offensive line versatility but very vividly had experience at guard in college.
Meanwhile, Risner has battled an injury as of late.
Two sources tell VikingsTerritory that Risner will likely be cut next week. It seems the Risner reunion will be brief.
Rumor: Jaren Hall faces a roster cut next week because Minnesota may keep just two quarterbacks on the active roster.
Vikings-centric roster predictions are hot and heavy right npw, as the cutdown deadline looms on August 27th. And according to a couple of voices, Hall’s job may not be safe.
“While Jaren Hall played much better against Cleveland than Las Vegas in preseason action and he seems to be appreciated in the Vikings’ QB room, it doesn’t seem likely that another team would pick him up if he’s cut,” Purple Daily’s Matthew Coller wrote this week.
Coller’s predictions featured two quarterbacks making the cut: Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens.
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis opined on Wednesday, “The decision comes down to this: Do the Vikings value a third-string QB option steeped in the system more than they value a back-end roster option with upside at another premium position? The answer might be no, especially with the emphasis coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have placed on roster depth.”
We believe Hall will make the roster as QB3, but let it be known that alternative theories suggest otherwise.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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