SALT LAKE CITY – Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson complimented former BYU QB Jaren Hall on his maturity and his wiseness on Wednesday.
Hall is coming off his first NFL appearance last week after Minnesota’s starting quarterback Kirk Cousins went down with an injury.
“Yeah, I mean he went to BYU,” Hockenson said. “He’s pretty wise. He’s just one of those guys that carries himself really well. He doesn’t say a ton but when he does it’s important.”
Hall is the projected starter going into week nine.
“He’s always walking around with a chip on his shoulder which is what you need out of a quarterback,” Hockenson said.
Hockenson showed that he and the rest of the Vikings organization believe in Hall and what he can bring to the table.
“He’s a hard worker. He’s always paying attention. I think he’s excited for the opportunity. We’ve all told him that he’s got nothing to lose, just go out there and sling it,” Hockenson said.
Kevin O’Connell Expresses Confidence In Jaren Hall
On Sunday, October 29, Hall made his NFL debut after Vikings starting quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings defeated the Packers, 24-10, in Week 8.
A day later, O’Connell and the Vikings confirmed that Cousins tore his Achilles and would miss the rest of the 2023 season.
During his Monday press conference, the second-year head coach expressed confidence in Hall and broke down what he saw from the rookie’s 11 snaps on Sunday.
“I did want to see Jaren go in the game and function. A lot of the feedback that I got from the guys in the huddle was he was outstanding calling plays, cadence and snap counts and the center-quarterback exchange,” O’Connell said. “If he ends up being the guy, then every guy on our roster has confidence in Jaren.”
Despite leading late in the game, a few passing plays were called for Hall rather than running the clock out.
Building Confidence
“I was really using some of those opportunities to show Jaren my confidence in him,” O’Connell added. “But also give him some opportunities to play quarterback and convert a big third down there, get out of the pocket a couple times on some keepers, and really just kind of start giving him an opportunity when all he’s done is scout team reps up until this point throughout the season.”
Following Sunday’s game, Hall said that Minnesota’s coaches have “done a great job” in preparing the Vikings to play.
Minnesota’s next game is on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, November 5 at 11 a.m. (MDT) on FOX.
