Coming into the 2019 season, the Minnesota Vikings have their starting QB set and ready to go in Kirk Cousins, and the backup at this point is fifth-year quarterback Sean Mannion.
However, if third-year quarterback Kyle Sloter continues to play well in the preseason, he could make the case that he should be the backup to Cousins.
In two preseason games, Sloter has completed 17 of 20 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Sloter was impressive against the Seahawks on Sunday as he went 11-13 for 116 yards and one touchdown.
The numbers look good, but according to Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
“I don’t know. I don’t know that you guys know all the little details about everything, you just see how he goes and does the game,” Zimmer said about Sloter on Tuesday. “He’s got to get a lot better in a lot of the other parts of being a quarterback. Making the right checks, getting people in the right formation, making sure the motion is there, not missing the time clock when it’s eight yards in front of you. There’s a lot of things that he has to get better at if he wants to be the backup quarterback.”
With those comments, it seems clear that Zimmer has more faith in Mannion coming into the season, and it’s hard to argue. Mannion has more experience and has started a game in the NFL. Plus, Zimmer knows what he sees in practice, and that is enough for him to know that Mannion is the guy to backup Cousins in 2019.
