The Minnesota Vikings selected Jaren Hall in the fifth round of the NFL draft last April with the intention of never having to play him in a game this season. Kirk Cousins hadn’t missed a game because of injury in his first eight seasons as a starter and Nick Mullens was considered a capable backup.
That meant Hall would have the luxury of learning from coach Kevin O’Connell and two veterans without any pressure. Unfortunately, the Vikings’ quarterback plans for 2023 went out the window in late October and continue to be anything but settled as 2024 approaches.
Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles’ injury on Oct. 29 in Green Bay and the 25-year-old Hall had to replace him because Mullens was on injured reserve with a back injury. Hall started the following week in Atlanta, completing 5-of-6 passes for 78 yards and rushing for 11 yards on two carries before being knocked in the first quarter because of a concussion.
What followed has been a musical chairs of quarterbacks with the then-recently acquired Josh Dobbs replacing Hall before he was benched just over a month later in Las Vegas. Mullens took over for losses at Cincinnati and against Detroit but he was benched on Thursday as O’Connell turned back to Hall.
The Vikings are on the outside looking in the NFC playoff race with games against the Packers and at Detroit remaining. While Hall is being thrust into a difficult and pressure-filled situation, O’Connell is making the move because he can’t trust Dobbs or Mullens to protect the ball.
Dobbs threw five interceptions and lost three fumbles during the parts of five games. The mistake-prone Mullens was worse. He threw six interceptions, including four on Sunday, and fumbled twice. Both recovered by the Vikings but that didn’t excuse Mullens’ carelessness.
O’Connell’s decision also is a sign that he knows exactly what Dobbs and Mullens can and can’t do, and, more importantly, he knows neither is likely to be back in Minnesota next season. Dobbs is a free agent and Mullens’ contract contains an “out” for 2024.
Hall was the starter at BYU in 2021 and ’22 and started 25 games with the Cougars during a collegiate career that began in 2018. He doesn’t have much NFL experience, but he’s older than many of his teammates, including standout wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
This assures nothing when it comes to how Hall will perform against an often-criticized Packers defense. I thought Mullens would be an upgrade over Dobbs but after watching his decision-making and weaker-than-expected arm, that evaluation proved to be erroneous.
It’s a long shot that Hall is going to lead the Vikings to two consecutive wins, or a playoff berth, but O’Connell is making the right call. He will get an opportunity to get a look at Hall in the present but also have an eye on the future. That’s more productive than continuing with the mistake-prone Mullens.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com.
