Vikings Work Out 8 Players, Including Veteran QB

Jul 26, 2023; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy (12) during training camp at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic

Tuesday was a very busy day for the Minnesota Vikings.

Early in the day, we got news that Justin Jefferson was headed to IR, and the team had waived former Gophers QB Tanner Morgan.

Now, we have learned that the Vikings have followed these moves up by working out 8 players, including veteran QB Colt McCoy.

Vikings Work Out 8 Players on Tuesday

Vikings Work Out 8 Players
Jul 27, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy (12) fans to the fans during training camp at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic

The full list of workouts was tweeted by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, who wrote, “#Vikings worked out Sal Cannella, James Empey, Troy Fumagalli, Chris Glaser, E.J. Jenkins, Marquan McCall, Colt McCoy, Marvin Wilson.”

McCoy has been a journeyman across the NFL for years and got his career started in 2010 with the Cleveland Browns after being a third-round draft selection that spring. In his rookie season, he started eight games and completed 60.8% of his passes for 1576 yards, 6 TDs, and 9 INTs. The Browns went 2-6 in his starts.

The QB spent three seasons with the Browns, and since then, he has had stints with San Francisco, Washington, the New York Giants, and Arizona.

Dec 29, 2019; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy (12) warms up before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

In total, the QB has played in 56 games over his career, including 36 starts. In those games, he has completed 62.6% of his passes for 7975 yards, 34 TDs, and 32 INTs.

McCoy actually overlapped with current Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips during his time in Washington. He joined the team in 2014, which also happened to be Phillips’ first of five years as the tight ends coach for the franchise.

In 2017, O’Connell would join the team as the quarterbacks coach, and the duo of McCoy and O’Connell would work together for three seasons. In 2019, O’Connell was promoted to offensive coordinator. Then, McCoy would leave the team in 2020 for the New York Giants while O’Connell went to take the OC job with the Los Angeles Rams.

Nov 3, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy (12) looks on prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

As of now, none of the players that worked out for Minnesota have been signed. However, given Nick Mullens’ back injury that held him out of Week 5 versus the Kansas City Chiefs, the Vikings may bring the QB aboard as a safety blanket.

This weekend, the Vikings will travel to Chicago and take on the Bears as part of the Week 6 slate of NFL games.

Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.