Jaren Hall Expected to Be Vikings' Starting QB vs. Falcons After Josh Dobbs Trade

The Minnesota Vikings will have a new quarterback under center this weekend after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in a Week 8 win over the Green Bay Packers.

Rookie quarterback Jaren Hall is slated to get his first NFL start on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters Tuesday.

The Vikings also acquired Joshua Dobbs on Tuesday from the Arizona Cardinals, and O'Connell aded that it's possible he will be ready to play come Sunday.

O'Connell told reporters of Hall:

"I think he's physically capable, I think he's mentally capable, I think he's made up of the right stuff. I've loved the way he's attacked whatever role he's been in throughout the season. You do all those things that you do when nobody's really counting on you or thinking you're potentially going to be on the field. All of those lonely hours, lonely moments where he's with the coaches grinding on some extra work here and there, this is where you see the benefit of that. I'm excited to see the way Jaren goes about the week and performs on Sunday."

The Vikings selected Hall in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of BYU. He replaced an injured Cousins in Sunday's win over the Packers and finished the game having completed three of four passes for 23 yards.

Hall is coming off a solid 2022 season at BYU. He completed 66.0 percent of his passes for 3,171 yards and 31 touchdowns against six interceptions in 12 games, in addition to rushing for 350 yards and three scores.

Dobbs, meanwhile, started eight games for the Cardinals this season while Kyler Murray recovered from a torn ACL suffered during the 2022 campaign. Either Murray or rookie Clayton Tune will star for Arizona this weekend, which made Dobbs expendable.

Dobbs completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,569 yards and eight touchdowns against five interceptions during his tenure with the Cardinals, in addition to rushing for 258 yards and three scores.

The Cardinals went 1-7 with Dobbs under center, and he'll be joining a Minnesota squad that is at a pivotal point in the season with a 4-4 record.

While Hall is expected to start Sunday's matchup against the Falcons, O'Connell noted that Dobbs will "potentially" be in a supportive role for the matchup, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

The Vikings also have Nick Mullens on their roster, but he's on injured reserve with a back ailment. Veteran Sean Mannion is on the team's practice squad.