Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell pushed back against divulging any hint of his potential plans for quarterback Daniel Jones in the postseason.
Activated to the Vikings’ 53-man roster ahead of Minnesota’s wild-card round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams on “Monday Night Football,” Jones could dress for his first game for the Vikings when the stakes couldn’t be higher.
After his release from the New York Giants, Jones signed to the practice squad on November 28 and immersed himself in the Vikings playbook.
There’s been speculation that Jones could be the primary backup to Sam Darnold or have a handful of play designs specifically for him — however, O’Connell has not shown his hand.
Asked for a second time about Jones’ potential role this week, O’Connell acknowledged the potential for a change in the depth chart but maintained that he trusts backup Nick Mullens. He declined to give any further insight in his tightly wound response.
“Daniel Jones will be one of the quarterbacks on the roster for the team, I made that very apparent the other day,” O’Connell deadpanned. “I think it’s very important to understand, Nick Mullens has been our No. 2 quarterback all season long for a reason — my trust in Nick.
“Sam takes the majority of the reps all week long. We wanted to make sure, as we hopefully move forward next month, we do the things that give us the best chance to win. That could be something that may look different, but obviously not something for the benefit of our players and our quarterbacks that I certainly need to be discussing at this podium, I do respect the question though.”
Daniel Jones Could Serve as Vikings’ X-Factor in Red Zone
In a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18, the Vikings failed to score a touchdown in four trips to the red zone.
The biggest culprit to those red-zone woes was the Vikings offense becoming one-dimensional. On 11 plays inside the Lions’ 10-yard line, the Vikings called passing plays on nine of those downs.
The reason why? Minnesota’s run game remains anemic in the red zone.
According to Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Ben Goessling, “Vikings running backs have been hit at the line on 72.2% of their runs inside the opponent’s 10-yard line. That’s the highest rate in the league.”
Darnold had an off-night, completing just 1-of-9 of those pass attempts for 3 yards inside the 10 — a vital fault that led to their loss and having to go on the road in the wild-card round.
But Jones could bring a boon to the red zone with his athleticism. At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Jones is difficult to bring down and could be the engine for some RPO plays in the red zone.
It would be risky to put the ball in Jones’s hands after all he’s been through this season, but if O’Connell deems he is ready, Jones could add a needed element to the Vikings offense.
Drivers of Daniel Jones’ Elevation to Vikings’ Playoff Roster
The Vikings had to make a necessary sacrifice to elevate Jones to the 53-man roster, releasing backup Brett Rypien, who was later signed to the practice squad but will not be available for the postseason.
Rypien gained stock in Minnesota over the season and seemingly was pushing Mullens for his spot as the primary backup.
“I do think, from what we’ve heard behind the scenes, it is not a shoo-in that Nick Mullens is the next guy up,” Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Andrew Krammer said on the “Access Vikings” podcast In December, adding that Rypien has impressed since arriving in September. “They’ve been so impressed with [Rypien] at times that he’s made them think and consider about their pecking order.”
The decision to elevate Jones could purely be to assure the team can receive a compensatory draft pick if Jones signs with a new team in 2025.
