Former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is on the practice squad for the Minnesota Vikings, but he’s the talk of an expected change in the Vikings camp this week. The Vikings have been rolling with quarterback Sam Darnold throughout this season, because quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been out the full season with an injury. But, that could change in the team’s Sunday, January 5, matchup against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
At this point, it would be a shocker if the Vikings didn’t make a quarterback move for the Lions showdown.
Daniel Jones Could Appear in His First Game With Minnesota Vikings
Sunday’s Vikings vs. Lions game will determine a lot in the NFC. The winner will take the top seed in the NFC and the NFC North, and they’ll also score the first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage heading to the Super Bowl. The losing team will be fifth seed and play on the road for the wild-card round.
So, the Vikings need to make sure their roster is perfectly set. That’s where Jones comes in. The Vikings could bring Jones onto the active roster ahead of the game, and they seem ready to do so.
When asked about the idea, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell had glowing things to say about Jones.
“We’re gonna have some dialogue about that as far as the timing of it,” O’Connell said on Monday, December 30. “Daniel’s been quietly, behind the scenes, putting in some phenomenal work.”
O’Connell also said that he’s “probably more excited, as I told him the other day, more excited now than even as excited as I was to get him in here day one, just by what he’s shown us already. So, that’s definitely something we’re gonna talk about.”
Experts on Daniel Jones Signing to the Vikings’ Active Roster
In a December 31 feature about the quarterback decision, NFL expert and analyst Eric Strack stated, “What is the downside to activating Daniel Jones for one week? If Jones is ready enough, then just have him take Nick Mullens‘ spot on the active roster. If you feel a need to keep another backup QB active, then deactivate a 7th EDGE rusher or 6th cornerback.”
He added that he wonders why anyone is “even questioning whether or not this will happen?”
“I will be shocked if the Minnesota Vikings do not have their newest quarterback on the week 18 active roster,” Strack concluded. “Because it doesn’t make sense not to.”
In a December 31 story for Sports Illustrated, Will Ragatz agreed, stating, “There isn’t much question as to whether or not the Vikings will sign quarterback Daniel Jones from their practice squad to their active roster this week.”
Ragatz added, “It’s essentially a no-brainer, as Jones being on the 53-man roster would allow him to factor into the compensatory pick formula if he departs in free agency this offseason.”
Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports, in a December 30 piece, added that “the idea of a competitive rebuild is consistently taking low-cost opportunities to add to the roster. They did so when quarterback Daniel Jones was signed to the practice squad. It was a big win for what the Vikings are doing, and shows that Jones has bought into what they are doing.”
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Ex-Giants QB Daniel Jones Facing Major Change With Vikings