Friday mailbag: Everyone is worried about QB2
Kirk Cousins missed practice due to an illness and the backup quarterback situation isn't inspiring Vikings fans
Sign up for Purple Insider for $7 per month or $64 per year to get credentialed access inside the Vikings, from in-depth analysis to behind-the-scenes features to the ever-popular Friday Mailbag. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
By Matthew Coller
Happy Friday everyone… we have a football game to watch this weekend. Let’s dive into what’s on Vikings fans’ minds heading into the first preseason game. ..
@92brent What are some potential veteran backup QBs outside the organization? Either free agents or someone on a loaded roster somewhere that might be available by the end of preseason.
You guys do this to yourselves every year and I will not be complicit in backup QB panic. There are six or seven backup quarterbacks in the NFL who might be able to go .500 if the starter went down for a month so you guys have to do the same thing that the 26 other fan bases do, which is pray to the football gods that the starter stays healthy. There’s no point in stressing over Mond/Mannion or desperately searching for who the Vikings might acquire in a trade or who’s left in free agency.
That said, because you were so kind to participate in this mailbag, I’ll go through the exercise anyway. Those who may become nauseous easily, feel free to move onto the next question. Most teams who have even mildly competent backups like Mason Rudolph or Geno Smith are probably going to keep them so the only trade/cut/free agent options I could come up with are PJ Walker, Nick Mullens, Blaine Gabbert, Blake Bortles, Jeff Driskel, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon, AJ McCarron and Garrett Gilbert.
How many of those guys are better than Mannion… you decide.
@thetuse Is there any concern with the early practices that this offense might be too complicated?
It shouldn’t be. Most NFL concepts are pretty similar, it’s just how you dress them up and what details do you add to them and how well can you execute. Where the coach and QB are going to need to get on the same page is some of those details. The story that Cousins told about being asked by O’Connell to stay with a read that he would have normally come off in the past really stuck out. Bumps in the road and ugly portions of practice are pretty common with a new system. They should look smoother as we go along. If they don’t appear to be sharp by the end of camp, I might wonder if there’s some disconnect but Cousins also rightly said that he’s been playing with Jefferson, Thielen, Osborn, Smith Jr. for years and their chemistry should help them get through stumbling blocks. There’s definitely a point where you’d hit a panic button but we’re not anywhere near that yet.
@ATKing123456 Hi Matthew, has one less preseason game changed how coaches use the starters vs reserves? Will any starters play in their third game against the Broncos? (Asking selfishly as I'll be at that game)
With a new coach it’s really hard to know how they will handle it but I would be shocked if O’Connell plays starters in the third preseason game. The second game seems to have become the defacto “dress rehearsal” but some teams have decided to pass on playing starters in any of the games. After 2020, where there was no preseason games at all and the games were fine to start the season, it became clear that this preseason thing is for evaluation of bubble players and stuff to put on TV. But you might see some interesting players still. The rookies should play and depth receivers who are battling for position will be watchable. Ty Chandler might be worth seeing. Go to have a good football-y experience because the game isn’t likely to be a thrill.
@smccullough5 Seems that many of the rookies are starting to get some time with the 1's. From what you've seen, is this because they've overtaken the competition or because the coaches want to get a look at how they compete against better players.
Well, that’s not exactly how it’s gone. Ed Ingram splitting reps in practice with Jesse Davis is the only time we’ve seen any rookie with the 1s regularly. So, yeah, it wasn’t just a Mike Zimmer thing. Lewis Cine got a couple first-team reps early this week and then none since and Booth Jr. and Brian Asamoah maybe have combined for a handful during the entire camp. I think Ingram will win the competition over Davis because they want him to and he has better upside but aside from that it’s possible we won’t see any other rookies starting unless Cine overtakes Cam Bynum or Booth Jr. beats out Cam Dantzler. It didn’t sound to me like O’Connell was super thrilled with some of the technique stuff Dantzler was doing versus what they want from him but he’s more experienced and has taken almost all the reps next to Peterson.
@BIG_dannn I’ve seen people discuss Mattison being traded? But wouldn’t it make sense to keep him this year because Cook never plays a full season / The comp pick will get for him?
Yes, I agree. He’s a good player, you should keep good players. He’s also worth almost nothing on the trade market because nobody needs running backs. Comp picks are like backup quarterbacks: People talk about them way more than they actually matter.
@Vikesman85 Over / Under - KJ with 1000 yards? I feel we are going to have a formidable 1-2 WR tandem for years to come… until KJ gets paid
Under. I think everyone should be very happy with what KJ’s shown and if he repeats last year’s production it’ll be a big win. I don’t see him as a future No. 2 in the same way someone like Thielen has been an elite No. 2. He’s a terrific slot receiver and can make plays with the ball and I completely buy that he’ll be valuable but we shouldn’t assume there is some crazy next level to every player because they had a good year and solid follow-up camp.
@Erik04172824 Who’s our #1 PR at this point? Chances Booth Jr usurps Cam or PP?
The top punt returner might be Osborn right now but I’m not 100% sure. I’d guess that they want Smith-Marsette to win that job. I’ve seen Nailor and Wilson back there too but it doesn’t seem like Wilson is going to end up on the team.
Part 2: There’s probably a 30% chance Booth Jr. could pass Dantzler. A lot will depend on preseason games. If Dantzler plays in those games, something might be up as far as a competition. If he doesn’t, he has the starting job locked up.
@kyleshaner What percentage of NFL players would return to a game after losing part of a finger, like Kevin McDermott did?
I don’t think any quarterbacks or receivers could do it but I imagine defensive players, offensive linemen and possibly running backs could tape it up and run back out there. But that was absolute insanity. I felt really bad for him. It was the most freakish accident and somebody showed me a photo of what it looked like after….it was a horror film. Hopefully I never cover a game where that happens again.
@ManiacsMidway In your opinion, what is our best option for QB2? All hypothetical scenarios are welcome.
The best option might be to keep Mannion because he’s very familiar with the system and watch preseason with an eye out for somebody on another team in a packed quarterback room who can possibly have the upside as a backup. Maybe the next Case Keenum or Taylor Heinicke is out there.
This is what I mean when I talk about not worrying about this. Unless you get Andy Dalton, Teddy Bridgewater, Tyrod Taylor or hit on a draft pick with some upside, there are no good options.
@bulldogs13tv If veteran kickers were eligible would Greg Joseph be the Mr Mankato front runner?
Did everyone forget Joseph was good last year? It isn’t stunning that he’s having a good camp. He didn’t boom every kick through from 60 yards last year like he has this camp but he was unchallenged in camp last year because he was solid. Usually Mr. Mankato has to come from nowhere and not have previous experience.
@DarrickMoren Who is the better player this year and what are they better at? KJ or Thielen...
Assuming they’re both healthy, Thielen is the better player and it’s not particularly close. Thielen is one of the best route runners in the NFL and has elite hands and ball tracking ability. Those things have not changed with age. He can get off the line of scrimmage against press coverage and beat corners to the ball. In the red zone he has tremendous feel and “spectacular catch” ability (if we were using Madden ratings). Osborn is better at picking up yards after catch, which makes him a good slot option. He also has good hands and rarely drops the ball. He’s good but let’s not get nuts.
@Thetwostooges2 Who has been the biggest surprise so far at training camp? Which vet seems to have taken the biggest step backwards? Which rookies have impressed the most this week?
I’m not sure there has been any huge surprises. Probably the biggest is that Lewis Cine isn’t taking first-team reps yet. I’m giving that one time to see what happens in the joint practices with San Francisco. If anybody claims they can watch practices and figure out which veterans are going to take a step backwards, they’re BS’ing you. Unless it’s super obvious that someone has completely lost it or there’s an injury, that isn’t something we’ll know until the regular season. The rookies have put themselves in pretty clear spots going into the preseason games and joint practices — Cine, Booth Jr. and Asamoah with the 2s, Ingram getting some work with the 1s. The only chance at changing that will come with either big performances/steps forward or injuries over the next two weeks.
@SamRoot43 Who is your prediction for the guy we'll all be talking about after the preseason game?
I’ll go with Ty Chandler and one of the edge rushers… maybe Luiji Vilain? Those are positions that tend to make splash plays and stand out.
@bobh332 How are they using C.J. Ham in this offense?
Pretty much the way we expected. He’s moving around a bit but mostly in the backfield doing the things he usually does with run blocking and play-actions. Last year Ham played more than 40% of snaps in a game only two times. I suspect they will do something similar in terms of usage where he’s occasionally run blocking and sometimes a decoy, whether that’s lined up somewhere outside or in front of Dalvin Cook. They’re going to use him to mix things up and he’ll get a ton of special teams run. Typical CJ stuff.
@sean_sarro I heard the Vikings were exploring trade options at Center. Who do you believe is available, and I’m surprised they haven’t reached out to Tretter. Very excited for the new regime
I’d be completely guessing if I tried to tell you which teams might be interested in trading their center. Maybe there’s a guy who is losing a battle but the Vikings have spotted him as a potential fit or there’s a backup that they liked in the draft years ago. Who knows. The last few linemen they traded for were Jeremiah Sirles, Nick Easton, Brett Jones and Mason Cole. Nobody heard of those guys until they got here. So think that caliber of player unless a team has a backup emerge and drops its veteran starter by surprise. It does make sense that they would keep their eyes out considering the present situation… it’s also something that maybe could have been avoided if they had looked for center competition at the start of free agency rather than getting two career backups with little-to-no experience in Schlottmann and Reed.
@GBeckTV I would like to request a pie chart of who you expect to play the most at nickel corner. I understand Sullivan is really the only natural guy who will be on the 53, but it feels like there's a lot more upside in whichever young safety doesn't start next to Harrison Smith.
It’s going to be Sullivan. Lewis Cine isn’t the type of safety who is going to play nickel unless he’s going against a tight end 1-on-1. Cam Bynum was a cornerback in college and they converted him — seemingly successfully — to safety so it’s hard to see a player who was purposefully taken out of that position as a better option that a player with over 1,000 coverage snaps as a nickel corner in the last two years. Sullivan has only given up an 85.7 career QB rating on throws into his coverage, so I’d be surprised if he wasn’t the guy. If he gets hurt… then it’s either Parry Nickerson season or they would have to try Bynum there.
@jeffintokyo1 Ed Ingram.. How does he look? Do you think he can be a legit starter?
They must like something they see because he’s mixing in with first-team reps. He’s certainly big and appears to have an anchor as a pass blocker. Actual preseason game snaps will give us a better look. I don’t know whether he can be a legit starter. Practice and regular season game plays are wildly different and I haven’t heard any hyperbole from coaches or teammates to indicate that we should be fitting him with a gold jacket so we’ll have to get more information. Usually with linemen it takes at least a full season to have a good idea whether they can play.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Purple Insider to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.