Sean Mannion is expected to be the first man under center in the Minnesota Vikings’ preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson reported the news on Saturday.
In the released unofficial depth chart, Mannion and second-year quarterback Kellen Mond are both listed as No. 2 options behind Kirk Cousins, who is out for the game after testing positive for COVID-19.
This will be the first major opportunity for one of the backups to create some separation in the battle to be the emergency glass case option for the Vikings. Cousins’ absence ahead of the opener is proof of just how important that role could end up being.
Source said that #Vikings are expected to start Sean Mannion at quarterback in Sunday's preseason opener at Las Vegas. Both Mannion and Kellen Mond are expected to play plenty against the Raiders. Starter Kirk Cousins is out due to testing positive for COVID-19.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) August 13, 2022
The Vikings haven’t ruled out bringing another quarterback into the fold to compete if both Mannion and Mond struggle. In other words, the backup situation is a free-for-all for a team that still has more questions than answers.
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