Do the Vikings own the worst backup quarterback?

The Vikings can lower his cap charge if Cousins plays well in 2021. But they would be wise to draft a quarterback to serve as Cousins’ backup and understudy for 2021 -- and possibly his successor down the road.

Minnesota went all in on defense in free agency, shelling out $41.6 million in guaranteed money to the likes of Anthony Barr, Dalvin Tomlinson, Patrick Peterson, Xavier Woods, Nick Vigil and Mackensie Alexander. The logical counter is addressing the offense in the first three rounds of the draft. Building the offensive line is one of the main objectives. Finding a quarterback should be the other.

Cousins’ durability has long been one of his best assets. It allowed Washington, his former team, and Minnesota not to have to shell out for an expensive veteran backup. That’s why Sean Mannion has been Minnesota’s No. 2 quarterback since 2018.

Mannion remains a free agent so the Vikings’ backups are Nate Stanley and Jake Browning. The Vikings could bring Mannion back or find a No. 2 in the draft.

Stanford quarterback Davis Mills could be an option for the Vikings, but they might have to trade into the second round to get him. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
“We’re evaluating that as well,” Spielman said before free agency. “I know just listening to the coaches and listening to Klint and [quarterbacks coach] Andrew [Janocko], you know, it was hard. You guys haven’t seen it because Nate Stanley and Browning, they didn’t get a chance to play in the preseason last year, but we were able to see what they did in practice.

“We’ll look at all avenues, whether we bring Mannion back or if we don’t bring Mannion back. I think there’s a wide variety of quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. Do we add another quarterback in the draft this year? We’ll look at all the different avenues, whether it’s within with Mannion or another veteran or whether we draft another quarterback.”

This April is about building for the future and starting to make plans for whether Cousins is a Viking in 2022. Cousins’ base salary being guaranteed in 2022, but that does not mean he is immune to a split from the Vikings.

Assuming the top quarterbacks in the draft (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, Trey Lance and Justin Fields) are gone by the time the Vikings pick at No. 14, they likely will have to wait until Day 2 to find their quarterback. The Vikings don’t have a second-round pick, but they do have two third-round selections.

According to ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., there are several Day 2 options: Stanford’s Davis Mills, Georgia’s Jamie Newman and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay has Mond off the board at No. 51 to Washington in the second round in his latest mock draft. That’s 27 spots ahead of when the Vikings are slated to pick at No. 78 in the third. Florida QB Kyle Trask is gone one spot later at 52 in McShay’s Mock 4.0.

Spielman’s shrewd ability to know where he can get the most value in the draft could lead the Vikings to utilize some of their 10 draft picks to move up to land Mills or another quarterback in the second round.

Stanley, a seventh-round pick in 2020, is the third quarterback drafted by the Vikings since 2011 (first-rounders Christian Ponder and Teddy Bridgewater).

While Minnesota may believe Stanley is capable of competing to back up Cousins this season, his prospect as a long-term starting option appears murky. That only heightens the pressure on the Vikings to land a quarterback to start in a post-Cousins era.