Vikings start in Week 1; quarterback change

Their staff has worked hard to broaden the roster and last week had the arduous task of reducing the number of players from 91 (including International Player Pathway participant Sammis Reyes) to the regular-season maximum of 53 before assembling a practice squad of 17 players (including Reyes).

The changes continued after the deadline for roster cuts passed on Tuesday and the formation of the practice squad on Wednesday. On Thursday, Minnesota placed Jaren Hall on the waivers list and signed veteran backup Brett Rypien as the third quarterback on the 53-man roster. Rypien is the backup to starter Sam Darnold and returning veteran Nick Mullens.

We’ve had a lot of messages in our inbox regarding Hall’s firing and Rypien’s signing, so we’re starting this week by consolidating some comments into a single response.

I guess I’ll never be an NFL scout! I liked Jaren Hall and thought he was making good progress.

I’m confused why the Vikings would release Jaren Hall, who has played so well, in favor of Brett Rypien. Why release a young player who shows so much potential in favor of a guy who has already been released by multiple teams? That just doesn’t seem to make sense. I’d love to hear the reasoning behind this decision.

— Irv Globstad, West Des Moines, Iowa (Vikings fan since 1961)

Why would they cut QB Jaren Hall? He’s a better QB than Mullens and can get out when needed. I think that was a big mistake and they let the wrong player go. I’m guessing the Vikings will get the first pick next year so we’ll be 4-13 this year! Hall is a good quarterback.

The first thing to consider is that Hall’s time with the Vikings may not be over yet.

I admit that I am not a professional player evaluator. I personally did not expect any changes after the Vikings added Darnold, Mullens and Hall to the 53-man roster (based on what Hall had shown this preseason), but I am not privy to the advanced conversations and strategies that the personnel and coaching departments are discussing.

The news that Hall was placed on waivers and Rypien was signed came to light Thursday morning, a few hours before Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell were scheduled to speak to Twin Cities media.

That meant we posted the news of the roster changes shortly before they announced their desire to bring Hall back to the practice squad. We followed up on those comments in this story, which further explains their thinking if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet.

Placing Hall on waivers meant another team could have claimed him, but that timing would have required another change to their 53-man rosters, which had only been put in place on Tuesday. Rosters remain flexible throughout the league during a season, but no team has placed Hall on waivers.

The second-year pro became a free agent and can re-sign with Minnesota’s practice squad or explore his options with another team. No announcements were made before Sunday’s mailbag deadline, but we could learn more today.

I’ve written in several mailbags about O’Connell and others speaking well of Hall and expressing their excitement about his development. His play this preseason showed progress, which was good to see for Hall, an unfailingly polite young man who does his job the right way. It could also be a good endorsement of the team’s approaches to developing quarterbacks.

The Vikings’ leadership, which decided to make the move, weighed several factors, including results that could result in Hall ending up off the practice squad, before deciding that what Rypien can offer the team was worth bringing him here.

Rypien has played 10 games for the Broncos and Rams, four of them as a starter. Los Angeles’ system has a lot of overlap with Minnesota’s. He also played well during the preseason with the Bears.

After what happened to the Vikings at quarterback in 2023, when they started four quarterbacks in a single season for the first time in franchise history, Minnesota is trying to do everything it can in terms of preparation.