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Kevin O’Connell’s plan for his top two quarterbacks heading into training camp is clear. The Minnesota Vikings’ coach will open camp, and presumably the regular season, with Sam Darnold as the starter and first-round pick J.J. McCarthy as the QB in waiting.

McCarthy will take over at some point, but will be brought along gradually and without a known timeline for when he will ascend the depth chart.

What isn’t as clear is who will be the third quarterback the Vikings keep. Veteran Nick Mullens made three starts and played in five games last season after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles’. Jaren Hall, a fifth-round pick in 2022 from BYU, was the original replacement for Cousins before he also was injured. Hall ended up playing in three games and starting two.

Given what was witnessed in the OTA practices that were open to the media, and the three-day minicamp, it looks as if Mullens has the inside track to sticking and that the Vikings might try to sneak Hall onto their practice squad. That’s assuming he clears waivers.

The basis for this is that Mullens was paired with Darnold as one of the Vikings’ top two quarterbacks and McCarthy worked with Hall and other backups. This isn’t cause for concern about McCarthy, but rather the long game O’Connell is playing in making sure he doesn’t rush the 10th-overall pick in the April draft.

The Vikings were 0-3 in Mullens’ starts and he had one more interception than touchdown passes (8-7). Minnesota was 1-1 in Hall’s starts, but his win came in a game at Atlanta when he suffered a concussion in the first quarter and was replaced by Josh Dobbs. Hall finished the season with 20 pass attempts, one interception and no touchdowns.