The Minnesota Vikings were expected to add a veteran quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy in the wake of the season-ending injury to Carson Wentz.
And the team has now done just that. On Tuesday, the Vikings announced they have signed quarterback John Wolford to the practice squad.
Wolford was an undrafted free-agent signing of the Los Angeles Rams out of college and spent two seasons playing for O'Connell when he was the team's offensive coordinator.
Wolford has appeared in seven games over three season, completing 58.7% of his passes for 626 yards and one touchdown to five picks.
He hasn't played a snap in the NFL since 2022, though.
While Wolford gives the Vikings another body at the position just in case McCarthy isn't ready to return from injury this week, he doesn't do anything to provide some security behind the young quarterback in the event he struggles or gets hurt again.
In order to acquire a quarterback like that, the Vikings are going to need to make a trade before the deadline passes on Nov. 4.
Signal-callers who have been speculated about as possible options for Minnesota include Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
Cousins would be the most seamless fit with his experience in Minnesota's offense, but he's also clearly on the decline and that, along with his hefty contract, will likely prevent the Vikings from bringing him back.
Adding to that, there will be a media circus surrounding a Cousins' return to the Vikings, especially if McCarthy struggles and there are calls for the veteran to replace him.
Wilson and Winston are more attractive options given their smaller contracts. The former is a free agent in 2026 and the latter is signed through next season but can also be cut without much penalty.
Like Cousins, Wilson is clearly not the same player he once was, but he could be the preferred option between the two with his friendly contract.
Winston is probably the most attractive option of the three at this point because of the upside he offers thanks to his big arm, and because he could be a backup solution next year.
But the veteran signal-caller is also a gunslinger, which leads to more turnovers.
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