Vikings Territory: Implications For Vikings From Gardner Minshew Trade To Eagles

Press release from Vikings Territory:

Dustin Baker Dustin Baker

2021-08-28

NFL roster cuts are on the horizon — every team must shrink to 53 men by August 31 — so roster moves are happening as the preseason winds down.

August 28, 2021

Pertaining to the Minnesota Vikings, no direct connections exist in the deal. However, with the profuse struggles by Jake Browning — who was the presumed QB2 for the month of August — and Kellen Mond still in a ‘raw’ state of development, Minnesota will keep its eye on the free-agent quarterback market during the next four days.

August 28, 2021

In any event, Mullens is a free agent. He is the owner of bizarre stats like this:

August 28, 2021

Mullens, 26, started 16 games with the San Francisco 49ers — a full season worth of work — before trekking to Philadelphia for a handful of months. Full disclosure: He didn’t play very well for the Eagles this preseason.

But Mullens is young and can throw for volume yards. Mind you — this is not an endorsement for Mullens as a Case Keenum-like savior in Minnesota. He’s merely more battle-tested than Jake Browning, Kellen Mond, and Nate Stanley. Mullens has tossed 25 touchdown passes to 22 interceptions in his career with a 64.5% completion rate. Too, with the Vikings, he’d have a supporting cast of Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and Irv Smith Jr. to support him.

Browning is close to an automatic roster cut — or at least practice squad designation — with Mond gaining some on-the-field momentum Friday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. Allowing Mond to develop and learn with some trial by fire amid a hypothetical Cousins absence is probably the best option for his personal development.

Otherwise, several other quarterbacks should hit the waiver wire on August 31. Mullens just got a jump on the rest.

This press release was produced by Vikings Territory .The views expressed here are the author’s own.