Nick Mullens Injury History & Analysis

Vikings QB Sam Darnold underwent an MRI on his knee that revealed no structural damage, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer. "He’s sore, but they are optimistic he plays against Green Bay" on Sunday, Glazer adds.

A Monday MRI confirmed that Vikings QB Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in the Week 8 win over the Packers, NFL Network reports. Cousins will miss the rest of the 2023 season. His contract is set to void in March, and Cousins will turn 36 in August, leaving his football future very uncertain. The Vikings, meanwhile, are left with QBs Jaren Hall and Sean Mannion for now. QB Nick Mullens, who at least has 655 NFL pass attempts under his belt, is eligible to come off IR next week. We'll see if Minnesota makes a move for a free-agent QB or swings a trade before tomorrow's trade deadline. Regardless, Cousins' absence is bad news for all of the team's skill-position players.

Browns QB Case Keenum has joined QB Baker Mayfield on the COVID list. That leaves QB Nick Mullens to start Saturday's game vs. the Raiders. Mullens has been on the practice squad since September 1, so he at least has some familiarity with the offense. Mullens made 8 starts for the 49ers between 2018 and 2020 and owns a career 64.5% completion rate, 7.9 yards-per-attempt average and 25 TDs vs. 22 INTs. He's probably not a significant downgrade from Keenum. We're still expecting a run-heavy attack from Cleveland on Saturday.