Forget Starting, Kellen Mond May Not Even Dress

K. Joudry |

Jan 7, 2022

Aug 21, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond (11) throws in front of Indianapolis Colts defensive end Isaac Rochell (91) during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

One thing many fans will be watching for this weekend is whether the Vikings lean on their youth. That desire has led to some calls for Kellen Mond to get a true shot to play. At this stage, that’s looking exceedingly unlikely.

In fact, it looks unlikely that he’ll even dress for the game.

Mike Zimmer: "I get the questions about 'Am I gonna play young guys?' The preseason, training camp is for those guys to play. This is a regular season game. We just go about our business like we always do."
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 7, 2022

Kirk Cousins has returned from the Covid list. He’ll therefore be the team’s QB1 heading into yet another meaningless game at the end of the season. Sean Mannion will be the team’s QB2. For the entire season, Minnesota rolled with that setup at QB. No one really cared too much. There was the occasional tweet or mention of Mond not getting much chance, but it was a reality we largely accepted.

A lot can change, though, in a couple weeks. Mannion’s Covid absence led to Mond getting his first chance to dress. Cousins’ Covid absence led to Mond not only being QB2, but also to get into game action once Mannion hurt his hand.

At this stage, then, is looks like the only thing that will allow Kellen Mond to climb the QB hierarchy is an injury. He’ll likely finish the year having gone 2/3 for 5 yards. The incompletion should have been an INT, and it occurred once the Packers game was long over. The Vikings were fortunate it wasn’t picked off.

Ideally, Mond will be capable of doing much, much more next season. The game still appears to move too fast for him, so things will need to slow down before he could make a consistent impact on the field. The final chapter for Kellen Mond hasn’t been written yet, so fans ought not be discouraged. In time, Mond may develop into a impact player.

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