The Vikings confirmed on Thursday that they will be making a quarterback change in Week 17 with rookie Jaren Hall moving into the lineup in place of Nick Mullens.
Hall was a fifth-round pick this year and he became the starter when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles, but a concussion ended that run at less than a half of football and he has not played since November 5. After head coach Kevin O’Connell announced the change, Hall spoke to reporters about the progress he feels he has made since that brief appearance in the lineup and paid special attention to the emphasis that O’Connell put on ball possession.
“There’s lots of different reasons why turnovers happen, fumbles, interceptions, whatever it is,” Hall said, via the team’s website. “Everyone who has played the game has succumbed to that at one point or another, and you just focus on it all week and try to be better at it. I think everything is still a work in progress. I’m still in my first season. I can’t say I’ve got a great handle on anything yet because I’ve got to go play a game and see what happens, but I’m always confident in what I’m able to do and the coaching, they’ve developed me at this point. I understand the offense more, learning behind Kirk and Nick and Josh [Dobbs] when he joined us. It’s been great, so I think I’ve gotten better in every area since I first got here, but there’s obviously a lot to still prove.”
Cousins’ expiring contract makes quarterback an area the Vikings will be focused on heading into the offseason, so anything Hall can prove on Sunday night will factor into the team’s approach for 2024.
