Coach – Vikings to start QB who can maximize Justin Jefferson،
As they welcome All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson back to their active roster, the Minnesota Vikings will spend the next few days deciding which of their three quarterbacks is – among other things – best suited to maximize Jefferson’s skillset, said coach Kevin O’Connell. said Tuesday.
Kirk Cousins was the Vikings’ starter when Jefferson injured his right hamstring in Week 4. Since then, however, Cousins suffered a game-ending Achilles injury. season, backup Nick Mullens suffered a lower back injury and No. 3 quarterback Jaren Hall suffered. a concussion. Newcomer Josh Dobbs has played the majority of the Vikings’ last four games, but after leading them to wins in his first two, Dobbs has committed six turnovers in consecutive losses.
After Dobbs threw four interceptions Monday night in a 12-10 loss to the Chicago Bears, O’Connell said he would use the team’s next bye to reevaluate his options at the position. On Tuesday, he said Jefferson’s return was “definitely part” of the discussion he would have with his coaching staff and the team’s front office before choosing a starter for the Vikings’ Dec. 10 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mullens and Hall are now healthy and in uniform Monday night.
“Justin’s role in our offense, from day one since we got here, has always been very, very important,” O’Connell said. “…Any time you can reintegrate the best receiver in football into your offense, there will be ways to not only move Justin forward and make sure he has a critical impact on the football game… [and] the quarterback position absolutely plays into this.
“We’re going to make sure that whoever plays quarterback is aware and understands the intent behind the plays where Justin is the primary [target], or depending on the coverage, depending on the defensive aspect, how to quickly and efficiently get to the right spot to go with the football. At the end of the day, that’s what the NFL passing game is: rhythm, timing, understanding that the defense can and will take some things away, but progressing in rhythm.”
O’Connell noted that Mullens possesses many of those attributes, given his year-and-a-half tenure in the Vikings’ offense, while also pointing out that Hall “showed some real positives” during a short stint against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 before suffering his concussion. He said Dobbs’ contributions during this rash of injuries “cannot be ignored.” Dobbs, however, is “trying to make up a lot of on-the-job time” that he missed during training camp with the Cleveland Browns and the first half of the season with the Arizona Cardinals, said O’Connell.
“There’s still a lot of things that are new to him,” O’Connell said, “and the margin for error, when you’re talking about the NFL passing game, can sometimes be slim. The difference between conversions and Catch-and-run chances versus potential turnover-worthy plays are such a small margin for error. That’s what I try to balance throughout the game, throughout our preparation, to make sure we’re doing everything we can to control what we can to put our players in the best possible situation.
“If that means shaping and adapting more than what we have, that’s what we’ll look at doing. If that means obviously trying to mix and match and figure out what’s best in terms of personnel, we’ll look at that as good.”
The Vikings players have the rest of the week off and will meet again next Monday after the bye. O’Connell said Tuesday that there is no timetable yet for deciding the starter, and he did not say whether he would prefer to have someone in place for the entire week of practice or whether he would evaluate several options before deciding as game day approaches. the Raiders.
Jefferson was officially added to the 53-man roster on Tuesday. Wide receiver N’Keal Harry was sidelined in the corresponding move.
