No Reunion: Vikings Lose 2023 Draft Choice for Good
The Minnesota Vikings are only a few days away from opening their 2024 campaign. After finishing 7-10 in Kevin O’Connell’s second season, the Vikings hope for a better record in the upcoming few months. However, the oddsmakers are skeptical, envisioning the crew to have another top-ten pick in the 2025 draft.
No Reunion: Vikings Lose 2023 Draft Choice for Good
The first step between training camp and the season opener is cutdown day, when the NFL teams trim their roster from 90 to 53 players, and so did the Vikings.
Perhaps the two most surprising goodbyes were those of former All-Pro kick returner Kene Nwangwu and quarterback Jaren Hall. The former fourth-rounder Nwnangwu was claimed by the Saints but was waived again after failing his physical.
Hall, meanwhile, was expected to return to the practice squad; at least, that was the plan outlined by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after waiving him on August 29.
That idea is kaput, however, as Hall has signed with the Seattle Seahawks, joining their practice squad.
Tom Pelissero tweeted on Monday afternoon: “The Seahawks signed former Vikings QB Jaren Hall to the practice squad.”
Hall’s tenure in the Twin Cities lasted about 16 months. The Vikings spent a fifth-round pick to acquire the BYU passer, hoping he could become the long-time backup quarterback behind Kirk Cousins and his successor.
He was QB3 last year behind Cousins and his backup Nick Mullens. The 2023 season was expected to be a redshirt year for the rookie, but he was suddenly asked to play following Cousins’ season-ending injury. Mullens was on IR at the time and was scheduled to miss another game.
Hall started in Week 9. A quick three-and-out was followed by a promising drive, but Hall was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Josh Dobbs was inserted, and Dobbs-mania took off.
The quarterback carousel spun back to Hall later in the season, and he was named the starter in the Week 17 contest versus the Green Bay Packers, which was a primetime must-win showdown. It was a disaster, and Hall was benched at halftime.
Entering training camp in July, Hall was QB4, but J.J. McCarthy’s injury opened the door for him to stick around. His first preseason game was shaky, the second one was better, and the third was quite impressive.
The Vikings kept him on the 53-man roster but waived him two days later, swapping him for veteran Brett Rypien, a depth quarterback with career stats of four passing touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said that he “fully believes in Hall’s future” but added that Rypien was the better short-term option.
The coaching staff now enters the season with Sam Darnold starting and Mullens continuing to be the backup. Rypien is the emergency third passer. There is currently no signal-caller on the practice squad.
Seattle employs starter Geno Smith and backup Sam Howell, who was last year’s quarterback in Washington. Hall is technically the QB3 but stashed on the practice squad, meaning he can’t function as the emergency QB.
While many fans are sad to see Hall leave, it should be noted that the coaching staff has more faith in Rypien, which is a bad sign for his development. Hall turned 26 in March.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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