The No. 2 quarterback spot was subject to a lot of offseason speculation for the Minnesota Vikings, at least as it pertained to one big name. With free agent options thinned out, a trade on Day 3 of April's draft yielded Sam Howell.
The idea that Howell was not a lock to be J.J. McCarthy's backup was put out there fairly early, but Brett Rypien has not proven to be worthy competition. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer has looked good in preseason games, but it's hard to think of him as a serious threat to win the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.
Howell has been a mixed bag in two preseason games, with a good outing against the Houston Texans and a rough outing most recently against the New England Patriots. Overall, the unsettled nature of the backup quarterback situation is concerning.
After last Saturday's game, head coach Kevin O'Connell confirmed that the competition to be the No. 2 quarterback is wide open.
"There’s a reason why we’re playing all three of them. As far as what that means in the overall competition, I think I would just say that it's still open and we’re trying to figure out what that room is going to look like for the season.”
Inquiring minds could suggest O'Connell opened the door to a late outside addition becoming McCarthy's backup.
Earlier this week on KFXN-FM radio, Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune dismissed any idea that Howell is in danger of being cut.
Still, as other teams figure out their quarterback depth charts, some interesting backup quarterback options who would be an upgrade could be available. That could, of course, include options that were hypothetically on the Vikings' radar back in March.
Proposed Minnesota Vikings' backup QB pivot should be on the radar
As the final week of preseason games looms, Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports has proposed landing spots for some backup quarterbacks who could be deemed expendable by the current team.
Sullivan led his list with Jameis Winston, with the Vikings as the landing spot for the former No. 1 overall pick.
"Winston was initially brought in by the New York Giants to serve as the top backup to Russell Wilson. However, that was until the club drafted Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the 25th overall pick at the 2025 NFL Draft.
While the plan remains for Wilson to be the Giants' Week 1 starter, Dart has crashed the party in the QB room with a sensational preseason. Along with bringing up questions regarding if/when Dart sees the field in 2025, it may also make a veteran like Winston expendable. If so, the Vikings make some sense as a possible destination.
Minnesota is about to hand the keys to the franchise over to 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy, and don't have much behind him at the moment. Sam Howell is the top backup, but he's put together a lackluster preseason which included completing just one of his five passes for 13 yards and an interception against New England.
If the Vikings are nervous about their depth behind a first-year starter, Winston gives them someone who has 87 regular-season starts under his belt."
Winston has evolved from the wild young quarterback of his youth into a capable veteran and a locker room leader. Once in a while, he still goes "YOLO" like he did in the early years of his career with Tampa Bay, but he can absolutely keep an offense rolling and make things interesting while he's doing it.
But what would become of Howell, you say? Sullivan proposed a landing spot for him, too: the New York Jets.
"Tyrod Taylor is sidelined after undergoing surgery on his knee, which leaves plenty of questions at quarterback behind Justin Fields. Adrian Martinez and rookie Brady Cook are the other two backups, and if New York is looking for someone with a little more experience in the event that Fields gets dinged up, they could look toward Howell.
As we noted above, Minnesota could look to upgrade off of Howell and, while the former UNC quarterback hasn't put together the best preseason, he does have a stronger résumé than their current backups, including nearly 3,946 yards passing during his 17 starts with the Washington Commanders in 2023."
Goessling's aforementioned comments seemed to come with the expectation that no outside addition would be made to usurp Howell.
So the idea that the Vikings are keeping an eye out for a potential backup quarterback pivot can live in speculative minds a little bit right now, and as those options go, Winston should be on the radar.