5 most surprising things from the Vikings 2021 training camp so far

Browning’s case for Minnesota to keep three QBs

The Vikings rarely keep three quarterbacks on the roster when final cuts are announced. They haven’t done that since 2017, but this year they may be forced to, and that is because of the surprising play of Jake Browning.

Browning got to see plenty of extra reps in practice when Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond, and Nate Stanley all were out due to COVID protocols. He was the only quarterback on the roster and made the most out of his chance to play with the ones.

Browning was by no means perfect, but he made plenty of nice throws and began building rapport with players like Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and Irv Smith Jr.

Browning really shines at making throws on the run and his deep ball was better than advertised. Currently, he’s ahead of Mond, and if the season were to start today, one would have to think that he’d be the No. 2 quarterback.

Mond will likely be the top backup quarterback for Minnesota at some point this season. But with the time he missed, he may not be ready to go by September. Browning might be and this could force the team to keep three quarterbacks for the first time in four seasons.