Vikings Make Shocking QB Decision
The Minnesota Vikings have made various roster cuts in the last three days, parting ways with some surprising players and some obvious ones. Kene Nwangwu’s departure after three years of kick-returning was shocking, especially because the depth at running back is non-existent. On Thursday, the next shocker was facilitated by GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Vikings Make Shocking QB Decision
Jaren Hall, a sophomore quarterback out of BYU, is no longer on the team, various reports confirmed.
The Vikings have replaced him by signing veteran Brett Rypien. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted on Thursday morning: “A surprise: the Vikings are signing QB Brett Rypien and waiving Jaren Hall. Another veteran behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens.”
A surprise, indeed. Hall has earned nothing but praise from the coaching staff throughout his tenure with the club. He was selected in the fifth round last year.
Minutes later, the Vikings confirmed the story.
In his four seasons at Boise State, Rypien registered 13,581 passing yards and 90 touchdowns with only 29 interceptions, leading the program to three straight 10-3 seasons in his final three years.
Still, the NFL was not impressed. He went undrafted in 2019 and signed with the Denver Broncos. He moved between the practice squad and the 53-man roster for four years and saw game action in eight contests, including three starts.
Last year, when Matthew Stafford missed a game, the Rams started backup Rypien. The game was lost, and the passer was released after the final whistle. He then had stints with the Seahawks and the Jets. In March, he signed with the Bears, but Chicago released him ahead of the cutdown deadline.
In his five-year career, Rypien played in ten games (four starts), throwing for 950 yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions. His track record is fairly underwhelming and uninspiring. However, he keeps getting jobs throughout the league as a journeyman QB3, so perhaps the Vikings wanted someone like that over the younger player.
Hall’s latest exposure came against the Eagles in the preseason, when he had an outstanding game, especially after a penalty nullified his early interception. He looked much more comfortable operating the offense and threw a few nice passes. Still, he did it against players who are now floating around on the waive wire.
In addition to that, Hall left the game in the third quarter with a leg injury, which might be an added reason for the release.
Kevin O’Connell said after the game: “He probably would have stayed in there, on that hit – the hit that seemed a little high up in the head and neck area. I have to go watch it, but it was actually just a little bit of a leg contusion. We just wanted to make sure – at that point, he had had a really good day. Let’s go ahead and put Matty [Matt Corral] in there and let him finish it. The thought was to try to get three quarters for Jaren, but we made the decision to take him out.”
Pretty much similar comments were made about J.J. McCarthy, so it should be taken with a grain of salt.
Adofo-Mensah is scheduled to talk to the media on Thursday, and he will likely provide some clarity on the situation.
Hall started two games last season; the first one ended with a concussion, igniting Dobbs-mania. In the second outing, O’Connell benched him for Nick Mullens. In three games (two starts), Hall tabulated 168 passing yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.
Depending on the actual reasons for his release, he might return to the organization at some point in the near future.
For now, Rypien is QB3 behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Vikings Finalize 17-Man Practice Squad
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt