Sean Mannion – Page 6 – Syndication Server

Potential backup quarterbacks for the Vikings in 2021

The Minnesota Vikings have some options when it comes to its backup quarterback spot next season. Here are some possible candidates.

Minnesota is entering an important 2021 NFL season.

The Vikings are in the midst of a playoff window, yet the team finished 7-9 in 2020. Now, Minnesota will have to bounce back and try to contend for the NFC North and beyond.

To do so, the quarterback position will be important. Kirk Cousins is the starter, barring anything unexpected. However, the backup spot is relatively up in the air at the moment. Will the Vikings go with familiarity, or will the team sign a quarterback from outside the organization to backup Cousins?

For this list, I’ll start with some likely candidates for the Vikings’ backup quarterback position in 2021, then I’ll get into the long shots.

Vikings quarterback situation listed as mildly intriguing

What do you make of the Minnesota Vikings quarterback situation at the moment?

The Vikings landed Kirk Cousins as a free agent signing in 2018, but since then, he hasn’t been perfect.

Minnesota has seen Cousins have stellar games, but he’s also taken the team out of key games this season, like the ones against the Colts and Falcons. With Sean Mannion, Nate Stanley and Jake Browning behind Cousins, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of hope that there’s another starting-caliber quarterback on the roster or the practice squad at the moment.

CBS Sports isn’t completely out on the Vikings’ quarterback situation, but they don’t think the team is necessarily locked in at that position, either. The outlet listed Minnesota under the mildly intriguing category. Here’s what it said about the Vikings quarterback situation, in conjunction with the Rams:

The contracts the Rams and Vikings have with their quarterbacks — Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins — most likely preclude any real movement if either team was eyeing a potential upgrade. But these team(s) didn’t quite fit in the top category.

The Vikings are likely stuck with Cousins until at least 2022 and probably 2023, due to his contract. Whether Minnesota finds a low-cost, potential replacement, remains to be seen.

It’d be nice if the Vikings had a backup QB with upside

The Vikings are stuck with Sean Mannion as their backup, who is definitely not the answer.

Vikings fans watched in pain as they saw quarterback Kirk Cousins throw three interceptions in Sunday’s devastating loss against the Falcons.

This is your reminder that Cousins is under contract through 2022 and is due $66 million guaranteed over that stretch.

If the Vikings don’t make the playoffs this season, which seems likely, and Cousins continues to struggle, there will be plenty of speculation on who Minnesota’s next quarterback should be — even if Cousins is under contract.

It would be nice, though, if the Vikings were able to turn to someone with some potential upside in the meantime. I’m not talking about a top-tier prospect but instead a fourth or fifth-round pick — someone like Indianapolis’ Jacob Eason or Buffalo’s Jake Fromm. Considering the Vikings were stockpiled with mid-round picks this season, this is disappointing.

That would allow the Vikings to at least give that player a chance in blowouts or when Cousins is playing terribly, instead of considering someone like Sean Mannion, who we can all agree is not the answer and will never be.

The Vikings did use a seventh-round pick on Nate Stanley in 2020, but he’s currently on the team’s practice squad.

It’s almost a guarantee that the Vikings will be drafting a quarterback in the 2021 draft with someone who can replace Cousins if he continues to play like this.

It’s a shame they can’t give someone a tryout before then.

Vikings backup quarterback update

The Vikings have an interesting competition going for the backup quarterback spot.

Minnesota’s backup quarterback spot will be interesting to watch as training camp continues.

The Vikings have Kirk Cousins as the clear-cut starter. But after that, it’s Sean Mannion, Jake Browning and Nate Stanley vying for spots.

Team reporter Eric Smith recently gave a brief update on the Vikings quarterbacks in training camp. He said that Mannion has looked good and Browning has taken second-team reps at times.

“Sean Mannion is one of three quarterbacks fighting for a roster spot behind Kirk Cousins, and the former third-round pick had an impressive showing Sunday.

Mannion, who was Minnesota’s backup quarterback in 2019, showed great arm strength and awareness, especially in the red zone.”

Smith also mentioned that Browning led the offense to a scoring drive in a simulated fourth quarter.

Mannion, Browning and Stanley will compete for the coveted backup spot on the roster. Last season, Minnesota had just two quarterbacks on its 53-man-roster, so winning that position is pretty crucial.

Where does Vikings’ QB room rank in the NFL?

The Vikings rank second among the four NFC North teams.

For the third straight season, the Vikings will be led by quarterback Kirk Cousins.

So far, Cousins has put up solid numbers and last season, he led the Vikings to a huge playoff win over the Saints in New Orleans.

The narrative that Cousins isn’t a big-time quarterback is still there, but it’s not like the Vikings have any better options.

If Cousins were to get hurt, however, the Vikings would be doomed. Sean Mannion is Cousins’ backup, and after that, there’s Jake Browning and 2020 seventh-round pick Nate Stanley.

I would imagine Mannion will be Cousins’ backup, while either Browning or Stanley will make the practice squad. The other will likely get cut.

Even so, NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund has the Vikings’ quarterback room ranked 14th in the league.

That ranking is about where most people have Cousins in league quarterback rankings, so that sounds about right.

To round out the NFC North, the Bears rank 29th, the Lions rank 17th and the Packers rank sixth.

You can check out Frelund’s full rankings here.

Vikings team reporter thinks backup QB could be one of the most hotly contested jobs in training camp

As Vikings team reporter Eric Smith pointed out, Kirk Cousins is locked-in to the starting job barring anything very unexpected.

Vikings team reporter Eric Smith did his “Monday Morning Mailbag,” and one of the questions asked was regarding the quarterback position.

As Smith pointed out, Kirk Cousins is locked-in to the starting job barring anything very unexpected. But after that, the position battle for the backup quarterback spot will be an interesting one.

Smith thinks the positional battle for the second quarterback spot on the depth chart could be one of the most hotly contested jobs in training camp. Here’s what Smith said:

“Sean Mannion, the backup in 2019, could get the nod if he performs well. The Vikings know the professionalism and support he provides for Kirk based on last season.

Browning spent 2019 on the practice squad as a rookie, and many are interested to see how that helped him progress as he heads into Year 2. The next month or so will be critical in his development as he tries to win the job behind Cousins.

Nate Stanley was a seventh-round selection and is also in the mix for the No. 2 gig. He had a strong career — and won a lot of games — at Iowa, but likely have to deal with the rookie transition to the NFL.”

Cousins has the starting job, but anyone from Mannion, Browning and Stanley could possibly win the spot. Mannion is the probable candidate at the moment.

NFL scout ranks Vikings QB personnel the third best in the NFC North

The Vikings have the third best quarterback room in the NFC North, according to one NFL scout. Fair or foul?

Minnesota finished second in the NFC North this past season, thanks in large part to an effective year from its quarterback.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins raised his QBR and attempted less passes than the season before, allowing for running back Dalvin Cook to have a big year and the team to be relatively successful.

So where does the Vikings quarterback room rank among the top quarterbacks in the NFC North? According to one NFL scout, the Minnesota quarterback room, made up of Kirk Cousins, Sean Mannion, Jake Browning and Nate Stanley, is the third best in the division, as reported by Sports Illustrated.

Here’s what the scout told SI:

“The Vikings, believing they were one player away from the Super Bowl after reaching the NFC Championship Game with Case Keenum in 2017, signed Kirk Cousins to a blockbuster contract in 2018. Of 33 quarterbacks to throw 500 passes the past two seasons, Cousins is No. 6 in passer rating, No. 5 in touchdowns and No. 2 in completion percentage. In fact, Cousins blows Rodgers out of the water in those key numbers: plus-6.5 in rating, plus-5 in touchdowns and plus-7.5 in completion percentage. However, in big moments, Cousins has struggled. In two games against the Packers last season, he had his lowest passer ratings of the season (both in the 50s), including a woeful 16-of-31 for 122 yards and five sacks in Week 16 in Minneapolis.

Sean Mannion and rookie Nate Stanley will battle to be the backup.”

Browning, who was on the practice squad in 2019, will also battle for the backup position. Chase Daniel might be a slightly better backup than Mannion or the aforementioned options for the Vikings, so that probably gives the Lions a boost.

I think it’s probably fair to rank Minnesota the third best quarterback room. The Packers will be the best until Rodgers ages too much.

Vikings quarterback room listed as 13th best

The quarterback room of Kirk Cousins and Sean Mannion ranked No. 13 on Bleacher Report’s list of top quarterback situations.

Though the Vikings had plenty of offseason turnover, the team still returns their starting and backup quarterbacks from 2019.

Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins received an extension this offseason, locking him down with the Vikings for two more years. You can see the case for extending Cousins here.

Sean Mannion was re-signed on a one-year deal. Mannion, the incumbent backup, will compete for the spot with Jake Browning and rookie Nate Stanley.

Bleacher Report ranked the Vikings quarterback room 13th out of 32 NFL teams. Here’s what the outlet said about Minnesota’s quarterback situation:

“Cousins saw a dramatic downtick in passing attempts last year with 444 compared to 606 the year prior, yet he still threw for 3,603 yards and 26 touchdowns against just six picks and completed 69.1 percent of those attempts. While he posted a 58.4 QBR (13th), criticisms about his clutch play remained; he won 10 games but had just a single game-winning drive.

But the Vikings aren’t likely to complain, especially with so much quality talent in his supporting cast, especially if rookie Justin Jefferson can step right in and fill the void left by Stefon Diggs.

Behind Cousins sits Sean Mannion, one of the higher-valued backups who can likely execute the offense if necessary as a sixth-year veteran.”

With Cousins and Mannion coming back, it seems like the quarterback room has a good chance of looking the same as 2019. Here’s to hoping Cousins improves once again, and Mannion can rise to the occasion if he has to come in and play.

Vikings roster analysis: three storylines surrounding the quarterback position

Kirk Cousins is almost certainly the starter, but after that, it’s a wide open race at quarterback.

Kirk Cousins proved some naysayers wrong in 2019.

The Vikings quarterback struggled in 2018, his first season with Minnesota, but came back and led the Vikings to a 10-6 regular season record and a playoff victory.

Cousins threw for 3,603 yards, 26 touchdowns and just six interceptions. However, he loses his leading receiver in Stefon Diggs. Hopefully Cousins has similar production with Gary Kubiak, the new offensive coordinator and other receivers besides Diggs.

Barring anything crazy, Cousins is most likely the starting quarterback for the Vikings in 2020, that much is true, but the quarterbacks behind him on the depth chart will have to compete to be depth players.

Here are three storylines surrounding the most important position on the field:

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Vikings QB Sean Mannion ranked the 29th best backup in the NFL

CBS Sports ranked Sean Mannion 29th out of 32 backup quarterbacks. Fair or foul?

Quarterback Sean Mannion started one game for the Vikings last season, and it was against a good Bears defense.

Mannion threw for 126 yards, zero touchdown passes and two interceptions. Granted, the game was low stakes for the Vikings, a team that had already clinched a spot in the playoffs. The Chicago game was the only one where Mannion attempted a pass.

CBS Sports hasn’t liked what it’s seen from Mannion in his career so far. The outlet ranked all 32 backup quarterbacks, and it put Mannion at 29th on the list. Here’s what it said:

“After starting for 12 seasons at Oregon State, Mannion has made a nice career for himself as a backup. In five seasons, he’s started only two games with 13 total appearances, during which he’s averaging 5.2 yards per attempt and a 57.5 passer rating. OK, I lied: Mannion only started at Oregon State for four seasons and while he’s made a career for himself as a backup, I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘nice.'”

Ouch. Mannion, who was re-signed by Minnesota this offseason, will compete for the backup spot with Jake Browning and Nate Stanley this season.