Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talked with the media later in the morning and said the team definitely wants Hall back on the practice squad, "if he so chooses to do that."
Ultimately, the GM said the decision to sign Brett Rypien and waive Hall came down to wanting more development for the second-year player.
“I think Jaren’s done a great job for us. Obviously, he really improved over the preseason," Adofo-Mensah said. "I use that development word a lot and with quarterbacks you don’t want to throw these guys in too early and I think, with him, we just want more time to pour into him.”
“At times, you get to a place where you decide that that roster spot, that value received is better used elsewhere and also might be better for the player,” Adofo-Mensah said of moving on from former high draft picks.
He admitted that he may have been trying to do too much when he first took over, comparing it to trying to erase the team's 33-point deficit to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2022 season, something he's since changed.
“I’ve thought a lot about those days and trying to compete on multiple timelines and things like that … trying to compete, aging roster, salary cap stuff, I think there was times where I felt down 33 to nothing and, as we all know, that game starts with one play, one drive and you build," Adofo-Mensah said. I think at times, I might’ve been guilty of trying to have a 33-point play all at once.”
Even though the Vikings are trying to compete in the present while building for long-term success, Adofo-Mensah said he's now focused on not trying to fix everything immediately.
“Each move, you take step by step to get to that end goal," he said. "Within that move, there’s kinda both timelines embedded in it. What you don’t wanna do is try and solve all of the issues at once.”
The cornerback room may be a good example of that approach this summer.
Vikings rookie Khyree Jackson was tragically killed in a car crash before training camp, then second-year man Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL in the first practice. While they can't be replaced, the Vikings were able to navigate the difficult situations by remaining patient and adding where they could.
Free agent signings Stephon Gilmore, Fabian Moreau and undrafted rookie Dwight McGlothern made the initial roster, balancing the team's short- and long-term goals.
Adofo-Mensah also highlighted that group's added versatility from last year and how the veteran leadership could benefit guys like Blackmon and McGlothern.
“You know, we like how we played defense last year but we wanted to give ourselves the flexibility to be a little more versatile, maybe play a little bit more man coverage defensively," the GM said. "Went out, decided to figure out how to give ourselves the ability to do that, loving the people we have in the building but also trying to give ourselves other options, and I think we’ve done that, with an eye to today but also the future.”
He also said the team believes McGlothern, who had a really good camp and preseason, “is potentially a really good player."
“We love that they’re in a room with Stephon Gilmore and a Byron Murphy to learn from. ... We feel good about the direction that group is headed," he added.
The Vikings will get their first test on Sept. 8 at the New York Giants.
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