Vikings' Jaren Hall: In protocol, won't start Week 10
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell confirmed that Hall was placed in the concussion protocol following Sunday's 31-28 win over the Falcons and won't be an option to start Week 10 versus the Saints, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Making his first NFL start Sunday a week after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles tear, Hall completed five of six pass attempts for 78 yards and ran twice for 11 yards before leaving the game in the first quarter with a concussion. Trade-deadline pickup Joshua Dobbs stepped in at quarterback despite having few practice reps with the Vikings since his acquisition, and though he got off to a slow start, he ultimately accounted for 224 yards and three touchdowns through the air and on the ground and orchestrated the Vikings' game-winning, 11-play drive scoring drive in the fourth quarter. O'Connell said Monday that Dobbs will get all the first-team reps in practice this week in preparation to start against New Orleans, and if Dobbs performs well, he'll presumably remain atop the depth chart moving forward. Per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, Hall looks like he'll face an uphill battle to clear the five-step protocol in time to serve as a backup to Dobbs on Sunday, and O'Connell expressed uncertainty that Nick Mullens (back) would be ready to return from injured reserve this week. As a result, practice-squad member Sean Mannion could be elevated for Week 10 to back up Dobbs.
