3. The backup quarterback situation
There aren’t a lot of great reasons to believe that Sean Mannion is a capable backup to Kirk Cousins. The team and some experts cite his experience as enough to make the difference, but his statistics tell a different story.
Going 33/53 for 258 yards and one interception in ten games played with one start isn’t anything to write home about. The hope was that Kyle Sloter would step up and show that his potential counters the “experience” of Mannion.
Sadly, that hasn’t been the case in training camp. According to the Pioneer Press, what used to be a split for second-team reps has become a battle no more, with Mannion outplaying Sloter and taking all the reps. Now, Sloter is sharing third-team reps with undrafted free agent Jake Browning.
It’s disappointing not to see Sloter rise to the challenge. He has a lot of supports on Vikings social media who thought this would be the year he became the primary backup to Cousins. Sadly, that likely won’t be the case this year.