The Minnesota Vikings recently decided to put Sam Darnold in the place of their earlier quarterback Kirk Cousins. This has surprised a lot of people as they did not think that a backup quarterback like Darnold would make his foray in the place of someone like Cousins.
Last season, Cousins suffered a major Achilles Tendon injury. He managed to play only eight games. However, he was impactful as he managed to cover nearly 2,400 yards of passing with 18 touchdowns against five interceptions. He had an impressive 69.5% completion rate in just eight games.
Following his impressive showing, the general consensus thought was that Kirk Cousins would make a return to the Vikings. The team had to ensure the quarterback was back in the team by 13th March. However, they did not make an effort, and Cousins decided to join the Atlanta Falcons. The team instead signed Sam Darnold.
Despite all the speculations, veteran analyst Colin Cowherd believes that Darnold will be able to take the team forward. He will be able to fill the quest of the team to make it to the playoffs, according to the analyst.
The veteran analyst noted on ‘The Herd‘:
I believe Sam Darnold can win games and find a way, if healthy, to engineer a possible wildcard spot. I believe Sam Darnold can win games and find a way, if healthy, to engineer a possible wildcard spot. When it comes to quarterback play, Sam Darnold – Shanahan likes him, Kevin O’Connell likes him, and a lot of smart people in the league. Colin Cowherd said
"Yes, I do believe Sam Darnold can win games and find a way if healthy to engineer a possible Wild Card spot."
— @ColinCowherd doubles down on the Vikings pic.twitter.com/et5sPLFuwR
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 20, 2024
Colin Cowherd praised the offensive side of Sam Darnold
What appealed to Cowherd about Darnold was his attacking intent. He explicitly praised the offensive nature of the quarterback.
Praising Darnold, Cowherd added:
I know on the offensive side like Sam Darnold, and they feel the same way they did about Baker Mayfield. You’re not going to pay him massive game-changing, five-year Patrick Mahomes money. Darnold can play according to the people who know offense. Never forget McVay loves Stafford. You guys all banged on him. He was 74-90-1 — ‘THE GUY DOESN’T WIN GAMES!’… I’m going to go with Sean over Reddit board guy . Colin Cowherd said
Though Darnold did not get much time to play last season, he was a backup to Brock Purdy and showed up to the field in 10 games. He registered 297 yards against two touchdowns and one interception. After playing in multiple teams as a backup, it is to be seen whether he gets an opportunity to show his class regularly.
