The future of the quarterback position is one of the most uncertain aspects of the Minnesota Vikings’ roster heading into this season.
Prior to the 2016 season, the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback situation finally seemed to be heading in the right direction. After whiffing on their first-pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by selecting Christian Ponder, the Vikings snagged Teddy Bridgewater at the end of the first round in the 2014 draft.
Bridgewater progressed quickly, winning half of his starts during his rookie season and then helping Minnesota win the NFC North and get back into the playoffs in 2015.
During the 2016 offseason, the quarterback was looking as good as ever. Coming into training camp with a bit more muscle and taking more chances downfield during the team’s preseason games.
The Vikings’ ship was sailing smoothly into the 2016 season and the team’s fans could not help but think the year had a chance to end with Minnesota capturing their very first Super Bowl win. Unfortunately, no one saw the giant iceberg sitting in the way of the Vikings’ voyage into the season.
During a routine team practice on Tuesday, August 30, Bridgewater dropped back for a simple pass play and before any of his receivers had the chance to make a catch, the quarterback was being transported in an ambulance to a local hospital.
It was later revealed that Bridgewater had suffered a dislocated knee and a torn ACL. His season was done for and the rest of his career as a professional football player was now up in the air.
But with Shaun Hill the only healthy quarterback left on Minnesota’s roster that had ever completed an NFL pass, the Vikings knew they had to make a move. Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman made a few calls and eventually completed a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles to send quarterback Sam Bradford over to the Vikings.
Minnesota did have to give up a first-round draft pick to acquire Bradford, but it was a move the team obviously felt they had to make.
Fast forward to now and the Vikings are coming off a disappointing 8-8 season that resulted in the team watching from the outside as their peers competed in the playoffs.
However, Bradford is coming off arguably his best year ever as an NFL quarterback after completing 71.6 percent of his passes for 3,877 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. Minnesota is hoping that Bradford getting to have an entire offseason with the team will improve his play even more this year.
As for Bridgewater, his recovery process seems to be going great and his chances to play in another game for the Vikings are at a believable level. However, the next time he plays in an actual regular season game may not happen until 2018.
For now, Minnesota knows what their quarterback situation looks like for the upcoming season. Bradford will open the year as the starter, Taylor Heinicke and Case Keenum will battle for the backup spot, and Bridgewater will likely begin the season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
But beyond this season is where the unknown begins to make its presence felt.
Four of the five quarterbacks on the Vikings’ current roster have only one year remaining on their current contracts (Wes Lunt is signed through 2019) and while Bridgewater’s contract can toll into 2018, his return to the field is far from a guarantee.
Minnesota Vikings
There is a very real possibility that none of Minnesota’s current quarterbacks will be on the team’s roster following the upcoming season.
That is quite the scary thought. Which is why the Vikings must, once again, look to the draft and invest in the future of the position.
The upcoming draft class is supposedly stocked full of capable signal callers and Minnesota should be a team that takes one off the board. It does not have to be someone in the first round, but the Vikings need to take this situation seriously and draft a quarterback within the first four rounds of next year’s draft.
No matter what happens in 2017, Minnesota absolutely must select a quarterback in the 2018 draft. Even if Bradford lights up the stat sheet and leads the Vikings back to the playoffs this year or Bridgewater makes a full recovery and is ready to come back and play by the beginning of the 2018 season, Minnesota still must take a quarterback in next year’s draft.
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If there was one thing to take away from Bridgewater going down last summer, it is that the Vikings need to continue in expecting the unexpected. Something the franchise should know by now after everything that has happened throughout their 57-year history.