With the loss of starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, the Minnesota Vikings are in a world of hurt. Their backups are Shaun Hill and Joel Stave.
Shaun Hill went undrafted in 2002. That’s right, he’s 36 now, after having stints over the years with the Vikings, Amsterdam Admirals, 49ers, Lions, Rams, and the Vikings again. Over the past five years, he been strictly a backup, completed more than 10 passes in a season but once – when he relieved the injured Sam Bradford in 2014. This preseason, Hill is 17-for-25 on his passes with an 8.3 yards per pass average, no touchdowns or interceptions, and with a 90.8 QBR.
Joel Stave, a rookie who led the Wisconsin Badgers last year, has gone 19-of-33 with a 6.3 yards per pass average, one interception and no touchdowns, and with a 63.8 QBR.
You can bet the Vikes are looking everywhere for another quarterback.
As of last weekend there were at least 110 quarterbacks on NFL rosters. When final roster cuts are complete on September 3, about half the teams will keep three quarterbacks and half will keep only two. If so, that means about 30 quarterbacks are about to be released outright or sitting on teams’ practice squads. Unless the Vikings arrange a trade, they are likely to be poring over those 30 QBs.
It’s likely the Green Bay Packers will release backup quarterback Joe Callahan and put him on the practice squad if he clears waivers. Callahan has been a steady and surprising preseason performer – and he’s likely to be in that group of 30 or so in a few days. His line going into Thursday’s game is 41-of-64 with an average of 5.6 yards per pass, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has a solid 89.1 QBR.
The Vikings will be watching the Packers game on Thursday, and they’ll probably be preoccupied with No. 6 on the Packers.
Might the Vikings go after young Joe Callahan? Given their penchant in recent years for signing Packers’ players – Darren Sharper, Desmond Bishop, Brett Favre, Greg Jennings, Robert Ferguson, Ryan Longwell, DuJuan Harris, and current receiver Charles Johnson – this isn’t such a far-fetched scenario.