When the Minnesota Vikings kicked off training camp last month, the depth chart that seemed to be the easiest to predict was that of the quarterback position.
Young J.J. McCarthy, of course, has been given the keys to the castle following the departure of Sam Darnold, and the Vikings went out and got him a serviceable backup by making a trade with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Sam Howell during the NFL draft. And then there's Brett Rypien, who joined the team last season and was brought back for the 2025 campaign. Easy enough, right?
But things aren't so simple anymore, as undrafted rookie Max Brosmer has come in and shaken up the system with some strong outings in practice and a pair of solid performances in Minnesota's first two preseason games. And while Howell had a nice outing in the Vikings' opener against the Houston Texans, completing 11 of 13 passes for 105 yards, he's been wildly inconsistent in practice and looked dreadful this past weekend against the New England Patriots, connecting on just one of his five targets and tossing an interception.
With Rypien also putting forth a solid effort against New England, completing seven of 11 passes for 83 yards, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has designated the battle for the backup QB slot as an "open competition," which seemed unthinkable even a few weeks ago.
Which Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks will make the 53-man roster?
There's a chance that O'Connell could include three QBs on the 53-man roster once final cuts are made next Tuesday, and Vikings analyst Alec Lewis of The Athletic believes that will be the case. But unlike a week ago, when he had Rypien as the odd man out, he predicted on the most recent episode of his podcast that Howell would get the boot. And I think it's safe to say that was an unthinkable thought a few weeks ago as well.
Lewis' prediction could certainly come to fruition, but it doesn't seem likely at this point, not after the Vikings gave up a fifth-round pick to bring Howell to the Twin Cities. Brosmer is unquestionably a great story, and one would think he's ahead of Rypien on the depth chart right now.
But a quarterback guru like O'Connell going into the 2025 campaign with each of his top two signal-callers never having taken a regular-season snap seems a bit far-fetched. If I had to guess, the Vikes will head into their Week 1 matchup with the Chicago Bears with McCarthy at QB1, Howell at QB2, Brosmer at QB3, and Rypien on the practice squad.
It'll be interesting to see the snap counts this Friday when the Vikings close out the preseason against the Tennessee Titans, and we'll know exactly which direction O'Connell takes when the 53-man roster is announced next Tuesday.