2 Young Vikings Received Bad News This Week
After a slow start to free agency, the Minnesota Vikings are slowly picking up steam, adding some depth help this week. Carson Wentz and Ryan Van Demark joined the club. That certainly helps the backup situation, but the newcomers demoted two players: Walter Rouse and Max Brosmer.
It’s far from guaranteed that either of the two would’ve actually had a chance to compete for a meaningful role, but even the possibility seems to be off the table for now.
Walter Rouse
The Vikings wanted to shake up the offensive tackle backup situation. Last year’s OT3 Justin Skule was on a one-year deal and he remains unsigned after an uneven campaign. His spot will presumably be taken by the new arrival, Ryan Van Demark.
The blocker was a restricted free agent, but the Vikings offered him enough for the Bills to say goodbye rather than match the contract. Barring a stunning development, he’ll be the swing tackle backup, having experience on both sides of the line.
Rouse, a 2024 6th-rounder, could, in theory, compete with him in the summer, but the Vikings apparently don’t bet on him to make that step. Last season, he barely contributed, although the Vikings played some games without both Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw and in most contests, at least one of them was out or limited. Rouse still only appeared in 7 games and he was even held out of some despite the tackle concerns.
The Oklahoma prospect might actually be in danger of missing the 53-man roster, especially if the Vikings add another tackle in the draft or find an undrafted rookie. Rouse just turned 25.
Max Brosmer
While Rouse barely played last year, Brosmer received way more playing time than anyone anticipated. Unfortunately, he didn’t show much promise, throwing 4 picks in his first start. Throughout the season, he had to replace J.J. McCarthy several times, starting a pair of contests and subbing in multiple times.
At the end of the day, undrafted rookie Brosmer completed 47 of 71 passes for 328 yards, zero touchdowns and four interceptions.
Not only did the Vikings add Kyler Murray to “compete” with McCarthy, no, they also ran it back with Carson Wentz for a second season. Wentz was solid as a backup quarterback. With all four passers on board, Brosmer is undoubtedly fourth on the depth chart.
Sure, he hasn’t particularly earned more reps or trust, but it’s important to note that he didn’t enter the league with high expectations. A developmental undrafted quarterback needs time to grow as a player to become a reliable backup down the line. Completely writing him off after 71 passes is not entirely fair, given his draft status.
However, the NFL isn’t fair and if a player can’t get it done, he’ll be replaced, regardless of whether he was supposed to be ready or not.
The good news is that Brosmer’s career isn’t over with a stint on the practice squad. That should be his goal, showing enough throughout the spring and the summer to earn that QB4 job on the practice squad to continue his development behind the scenes and hopefully grow into a backup at some point.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.