As quarterback Jaren Hall navigates the next couple of days, it’s hard to imagine him not feeling a little bit of stress. He’s seemingly on the bubble with roster cuts looming on Tuesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center, and while he has done a good job throughout training camp, it’s unclear if he has done enough to make the team.

There’s a chance the Vikings could decide to keep Hall on the active roster to serve as insurance behind starting quarterback Sam Darnold and backup Nick Mullens. There’s also a chance the Vikings could decide to cut Hall with hopes of sneaking him onto the practice squad.

Though his future was more than likely at the forefront of his mind on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, Hall deserves credit for drowning out all the noise in the preseason finale between the Vikings and the Eagles. He started the game and displayed his knowledge of the offense while completing 17 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Asked about Hall after the Vikings earned a 26-3 win over the Eagles, head coach Kevin O’Connell heaped praise for how well everything functioned with him at the helm.

“I thought he did a really nice job,” O’Connell said. “I’m proud of Jaren. He has really put a lot of work in that nobody really gets to see throughout the offseason. A really, really nice performance form him today, and something that I think he should be really proud of.”

The past few months have been a masterclass in professionalism from Hall, and he has produced steady growth along the way. He never once complained about his role after the Vikings selected rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft. He instead chose to focus on his pursuit of perfection in order to make sure he was ready whenever his number was called.

Naturally, as soon as McCarthy went down with a torn meniscus that required a full repair, Hall was ready to step in as the next man up in the pecking order.

It’s safe to say Hall made the most of his opportunity in the preseason finale. He operated with efficiency while under center and showcased his arm talent with a number of good throws.

“Everybody’s going to be aware of the good things Jaren did,” O’Connell said. “You could see just the comfort he had early on in the game and the growth from last year to now where he’s at just running our system and playing quarterback and moving the team.”

Now, if Vikings want to keep him around, they might have to guarantee him a spot on the active roster. It’s no longer a foregone conclusion that Hall would make it through waivers without getting claimed. Not that O’Connell regrets giving Hall a chance to shine.

“Maybe it’s the former quarterback in me that wants to make sure guys always feel like they get real opportunities in our offense,” O’Connell said. “That’s part of it, though, is knowing that other people are going to see our good players doing some good things.”

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