The merry-go-round ride that is the Minnesota Vikings quarterback position continues to spin, with Jaren Hall getting the nod for Minnesota’s Week 17 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
The season-ending Achilles injury Kirk Cousins sustained instigated chaos in Minnesota. They immediately traded for Joshua Dobbs and all the good, bad, and ugly that came with him. Dobbs put together two fantastic games that resulted in Vikings wins and followed that up with two turnover-riddled performances that led to brutal losses.
Kevin O’Connell turned to Nick Mullens during the second half of a scoreless road game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mullens led the Vikings on a scoring drive, which was enough for a 3-0 victory and the starting job in the next two weeks.
Those two starts weren’t all that different from Dobbs’ time as a starter. There were high highs and low lows. Minnesota moved the ball efficiently in each game, totaling 424 yards at Cincinnati and 390 yards vs Detroit. However, as was the case with Dobbs, backbreaking turnovers cost the Vikings wins in both games. Mullens threw two costly interceptions in scoring position against Cincinnati and tallied four more interceptions against Detroit.
So now, with the Dobbs and Mullens experiments in the past, O’Connell turns back to the rookiel. And it’s the right move for the Vikings in both the short and long term.
Due to the hoopla surrounding Dobbs after that dramatic Week 9 win at Atlanta, it’s easy to forget that Hall was the starting quarterback that week – and he looked solid in limited action. His most explosive play was a 47-yard completion down the sideline to Alexander Mattison. As noted, Hall recognizes the late safety rotation and sees Atlanta’s broken coverage.
Hall has the pre-snap knowledge to identify the types of coverage defenses are in and how to attack them, which is rare for young quarterbacks. Hall has shown quick mental processing in the preseason and his limited regular-season action.
Below is another example. The Vikings are facing a third-and-medium deep in their own territory as they tried to finish a victory against the Packers. He works through a read or two before turning back to his left, where T.J. Hockenson is available for the first down.
Between Hall, Dobbs, and Mullens, it seems clear that each can move the football down the field, albeit in different ways. Dobbs may occasionally hesitate to pull the trigger on a pass, but he’ll use his legs to move the chains. Mullens showed a (sometimes excessive) willingness to push the ball downfield. Ultimately, Dobbs and Mullens turned it over too often to run the offense smoothly.
Hall’s sample size is much more limited. Still, he can make the smart football play to move the chains, and he has the mobility to use his legs if needed. But taking care of the football is the critical area where Hall must be better than Dobbs and Mullens.
Turnovers destroy Minnesota’s hopes on a near-weekly basis. O’Connell is nearly through his second season as head coach, and he is undefeated when the Vikings win or tie the turnover battle.
O’Connell noted the importance of taking care of the ball when speaking to the media on Tuesday:
If Hall can take care of the football and limit the costly mistakes, history shows us that the Vikings will have a good chance to beat their division rivals and keep their playoff hopes alive.
The decision to start Hall is also the best choice for the future of the franchise. Minnesota drafted Hall in the fifth round last year. Sure, the Vikings may not have chosen him with the expectation that he would become a franchise quarterback. But the outlook of the position is uncertain.
Providing Hall with more game reps – and meaningful game reps, with Minnesota still alive in the playoff race – will offer the Vikings that much more information when the time comes to make crucial decisions about their future at quarterback. If general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wants to bring Cousins back next season, that’s totally fine. With a couple of solid outings, Hall can earn the No. 2 spot on the quarterback depth chart for 2024.
If the Vikings decide not to bring back Cousins, Hall can plant himself firmly in contention for a starting job next season, whether Minnesota drafts a QB early or not.
Quarterback is the most important position in all of sports, and maximizing the information available to make informed decisions at that position is essential to sustained success in the NFL. The decision to start Hall might not seem to match that level of magnitude. But if the rookie lights it up, Vikings fans will look back on O’Connell’s decision to start Hall as important for the 2023 season and for the franchise’s long-term success.
