It feels like the Vikings could have a new starting quarterback when they return to Minnesota after their bye week.

Asked about a potential change after the Vikings embarrassed themselves on Monday Night Football with a 12-10 loss to the Chicago Bears, head coach Kevin O’Connell declined to commit to journeyman quarterback Josh Dobbs moving forward. He instead mentioned both veteran quarterback Nick Mullens and rookie quarterback Jaren Hall as options while leaving the door wide open for speculation.

“We’re going to take a look and really evaluate,” O’Connell said. “We are trying to go out and win every football game we play.”

That’s nearly impossible to do when the man under center is turning the ball over at an alarming rate. As fun as the past month has been with Dobbs leading the charge, he has eight turnovers in four games, and that can’t be overstated given the circumstances. Frankly, it’s reason enough for the Vikings to consider making a switch.

“You’re going to have to find some of those chunks in the passing game,” O’Connell said. “You’ve got to be able to do it without the risk of feeling like we’re going to turn the football over.”

It raises the question: Who should replace Dobbs if he gets benched?

Though conventional wisdom might suggest Mullens based on his knowledge of the system, Hall should be the guy for the Vikings when they travel to play the Las Vegas Raiders coming out of the bye week.

The school of thought behind turning to Mullens is rooted in the idea that he could function like the ultimate game manager. It seems as if the coaching staff has convinced itself that Mullens will be able to run the offense effectively by going through his progressions and delivering the ball on time.

The biggest issue with Mullens is he’s a known commodity at this point in his career. He has a 5-12 record as a starter in the NFL with 27 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions to his name. Not exactly the epitome of ball security, his reputation within TCO Performance Center notwithstanding.

The ceiling with Mullens is praying he can avoid screwing up long enough for the Vikings to sneak their way into the playoffs on the back of their defense. If they were to make it that far, they would be massive underdogs against either the San Francisco 49ers or Detroit Lions. Both of those teams are better from top to bottom.

That plays into the argument for Hall getting the nod. He’s an unknown commodity at this point in his career after getting selected in the 2023 draft. Why wouldn’t the Vikings at least want to see what they have in him?

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall (16) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

In his first start last month, Hall looked pretty sharp on the opening possession, finishing an efficient 5 of 6 on pass attempts for 78 yards before unfortunately getting concussed while scrambling near the goal line. He recently cleared the concussion protocol and should be good to go if the Vikings hand him the keys out of the bye week.

That doesn’t mean he’s going to succeed. Not by a long shot.

The ceiling with Hall honestly might be lower than any other option the Vikings have at their disposal at the moment. It also could be better than anybody could have ever imagined. It’s worth finding out which is the case.

The ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl probably went out the window for the Vikings when franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles’ tendon last month. That guaranteed they were going to have to press on with a backup for the foreseeable future. Whether that’s Dobbs, Mullens, or Hall is neither here nor there.

Let’s just unturn every stone along the way.

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