The Minnesota Vikings turned over the quarterback position for 2024. J.J. McCarthy was expected to factor in at some point. With McCarthy out for the season, Minnesota must decide on a Sam Darnold backup. Jaren Hall made his case on Saturday.
Does Jaren Hall do enough for the Minnesota Vikings?
Sam Darnold will start for the Minnesota Vikings. It is possible that doesn’t remain the case throughout the season. Short of balling out in the best situation of his career, the odds of greatness aren’t high. Kevin O’Connell must decide who is going to be his backup for 2024. Nick Mullens is the presumed favorite, but second-year quarterback Jaren Hall looked sharp on Saturday.
After a rather lackluster showing against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first preseason game, Hall pulled a 180 against the Cleveland Browns. Although Hall threw just five passes, the Vikings quarterback completed four of them and found the end zone twice. His 87 yards resulted in a 17.4 avg.
Mullens took the bulk of the snaps, but he completed just 11 of his 21 attempts. The veteran did turn in a touchdown with 135 yards. Mullens took three sacks for a total loss of 22 yards.
Is Jaren Hall capable of Minnesota Vikings backup job?
When Kirk Cousins went down with an achilles injury, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback situation went off the rails. Jaren Hall was thrust into action before he was ready and that showed. His level of development didn’t look great to start the preseason, but he was impressive over the weekend. It seems unlikely that Minnesota will roster both Nick Mullens and Hall, but who gets the boot?
Matt Corral first drop back for the Vikings 🚀 pic.twitter.com/dhWbE1UZFp
— Stuckey (@Stuckey2) August 17, 2024
Matt Corral signed this week and took just a few snaps for Minnesota. His safety was ugly against the Browns, and he doesn’t seem likely to be a realistic roster option for O’Connell. Should Hall secure a spot behind Darnold, it still seems plausible that Minnesota will aim higher. Minnesota may opt to sign another veteran signal caller as security behind their starter.
Expectations understandably are not high for the Vikings this year. They drop even further if Hall (or Mullens) must be relied upon in any substantial capacity. For now though, it’s hard to suggest that Hall’s stock isn’t trending upwards.
With McCarthy out for the year, O’Connell can get additional development time for the 2023 quarterback. Hall has a golden opportunity in front of him.
