No one reporting around the Minnesota Vikings is entirely sold on Sam Howell as the backup quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic authored a mailbag on Monday, June 23, and addressed a question to that specific effect. Lewis noted that Howell has the kind of arm that can make just about any throw a signal-caller will ever be called upon to execute at the NFL level, but that his accuracy and decision-making skills leave a considerable amount to be desired.
Lewis added that Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell will have a better chance to evaluate Howell during training camp and may believe that he can up Howell a level or two -- much the same way he did with starter Sam Darnold last season -- and turn Howell into a serviceable backup option should McCarthy struggle mightily early in his first year on an NFL field and/or suffer another injury.
Howell is, after all, only a fourth-year player and does have essentially a full season of starting experience in the league. His record as a starter is 5-13 across 20 appearances, and he has thrown for 4,139 yards, 22 touchdowns and 23 interceptions over that span.
But Minnesota is still making two big bets under center with what is otherwise a Super Bowl-caliber roster, at least on paper. McCarthy has never taken a regular-season NFL snap, and the Seattle Seahawks bailed on Howell for the aforementioned Darnold and third-round pick Jalen Milroe out of Alabama.
Given that context, Lewis acknowledged that a bad training camp by Howell could result in the Vikings looking to the trade or free-agent markets for a veteran replacement.
One name he mentioned Monday was that of Ryan Tannehill, a former Pro Bowler with nearly 35,000 passing yards on his resumé, though also a QB who was not on a roster at any point in 2024.
"If the Vikings soured on Howell, they could try to sway longtime starter Ryan Tannehill," Lewis wrote. "Plucking Kirk Cousins from the [Atlanta] Falcons is another break-glass-in-case-of-emergency possibility."
Tannehill last played for the Tennessee Titans in 2023, going 3-5 before an injury sidelined him. Second-round pick Will Levis took over the starting job and kept it through the 2024 season, though appears now to have now lost it himself to No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward out of the University of Miami.
