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The 2024 preseason is in the books, with the Vikings going 3-0 and closing out with a 26-3 win at Philadelphia on Saturday.

Jaren Hall started at quarterback and was crisp and clean in operating the offense, helping Minnesota score points on each of the five possessions he played.

The defense recorded three takeaways and didn’t allow a conversion on any of the six fourth-down attempts by the Eagles.

The focus early this week will be on the required reductions to have the roster at 53 players before the 3 p.m. (CT) Tuesday deadline.

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his staff worked hard to add depth across the roster, and Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and his staff have developed each player, but roster reductions are part of the operation.

Coaches and players will take a quick breather at the end of the week before returning next Monday, the beginning of Week 1.

To start,

Kudos to VEN for your coverage of all three preseason games. Having the guys mic'd up in the third quarters was brilliant! Kwesi, nice! Listening to how their minds work was great, and K.O. is one funny dude!!

I've always been a proponent of playing all your players in the preseason. There is no way you can recreate the actual feel and speed of a live game in practice. You only get it from playing live football, and it really shows this year. Things certainly look sharper and more in focus!

The owners, the coaches, the players, the fans and I'm sure everyone involved with this organization is and should be incredibly excited! SKOL!

— Raysvikes in Yankton, South Dakota

There are several people who deserve hat tips for the inclusion of Justin Jefferson (Raiders), Adofo-Mensah and Harrison Smith (Browns) and O'Connell (Eagles) in the simulcasts. The first is the willingness of Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell to participate and allow star players like Jefferson and Smith to be mic'd up during live events.

It's tremendous access for all who have been able to enjoy, providing great insights into the ways their minds work.

There's credit that should go to my VEN colleagues (emphasizing not me) for the technical execution behind the scenes, the broadcast team of Paul Allen, Pete Bercich and Ben Leber and Vikings public relations.

The Vikings were able to direct quality reps toward starters last week during a Thursday scrimmage, despite an intensifying rain. Minnesota made the most of two days of joint practices in Cleveland earlier in the month and worked in a few reps for several players, including starting QB Sam Darnold and the offensive line, in the preseason opener against Las Vegas.

There's been a positive momentum built over the course of training camp. Although the results don't count in the standings, the Vikings have displayed some characteristics that often overlap with winning teams, including protecting the football (one interception) and taking it away (four interceptions and two fumble recoveries).

"We've got some examples now of playing the way we want to play," O'Connell said Saturday. "We want to be explosive on the offensive side, but we want to run the football, and we want to play a little bit more consistently, snap in and snap out, and hopefully the [explosive plays] come. … And I think the no turnovers thing, when you have your entire roster able to carry the football, you know, catch and get yards after the catch with great ball security, and a lot of the things we drill every single day as a huge emphasis, especially coming off of last year, those are all positives that I can reinforce with the team."

Just wanted to say good luck to all the players trying to make an NFL roster. There seemed to be a lot of really good performances from young players in these preseason games. Not only rookies but second- and third-year players also. I won't list them all, but one guy who stood out to me as being in the right spot and making plays even if they weren't all splashy was Dallas Gant. Really felt like he made a strong case for a roster spot either on this team or some other team.

Can't wait for the season. Skol Vikes!!

— Brian in Idaho

These are nice sentiments. We've seen young players show up and make some great memories and be put in positions to show their skills and learning. The percentage of people whose football dreams reach this level is quite small in comparison to the number of people who have ever worn a helmet and pads.

Gant, an undrafted rookie linebacker, tied with Brian Asamoah II for the team lead with seven tackles on Saturday.

O'Connell described the days of roster cuts as "the worst couple of days of the entire year for me." He knows the experience as a player and a coach.

Wow, Jaren Hall sure looked good against the Eagles. I hope they are able to keep him on the roster. With his accuracy and scrambling skills, I think we may have a diamond in the rough! He gets better with each outing he gets. What are your thoughts??

— Derek from North Dakota

and…

This might be the first year in a while that the Vikings have more than just a few decisions to make. I think that one such decision will be at QB. I liked Hall last year. The injury was unfortunate and then the next game he played like a nervous first-year guy. It looks like he is back on track, playing with back-ups and others, doing it well and seeing what the defense is bringing. I also kind of like the Arkansas walk-on, [Dwight] McGlothern. He seems to make plays each week. What do you see in those two after the final week of preseason games?

— Andrew

I've mentioned it before, but Jaren is such a quality person — and he's been a true pro in handling his business, despite only being a second-year player. For those reasons and more, it's been so rewarding to see him have great success at Cleveland (he maxed out the NFL passer rating in limited action) and at Philadelphia.

It seemed like the Vikings had Hall in position to have a great start against the Falcons, but he left that game early with a concussion, ushering Joshua Dobbs into one of the wildest storylines for an NFL game day. The Vikings turned to Hall against the Packers in Week 17, but it was a bad night for him and other Vikings.

People can draw a line to the way he's developed in a year-plus to the plans and work invested by the coaching staff.

Last year, Hall made the 53-man roster as the team's third quarterback. A 2023 rule change enabled a team's third quarterback to dress and play (if injuries occurred to a team's first two quarterbacks) without counting against the game-day roster limit of 46 players — as long as the player was on the 53.

This year, teams are allowed to elevate a third quarterback from their practice squad for the same purpose.

The caveat with having a player on a team's practice squad is that another team could poach the player and sign him to their 53.

Update, Aug. 26: After the Mailbag was published, NFL Media's Tom Pelissero reported the NFL Players Association vetoed the 2024 version of the rule, which has now reverted to 2023.

Teams will be able to dress a third QB for emergency situations, but those players must be on the 53-man roster.

Ultimately, the 2023 Vikings started four different quarterbacks for the first time in one season in franchise history.

Minnesota will evaluate these factors as it proceeds through the roster math.

McGlothern was excited to join the Vikings after having watched the team quite a bit. He has shown up multiple times this preseason as an undrafted rookie who was previously coached in college by Daronte Jones. He has demonstrated cover skills in practices and at Cleveland and then showed an intensity in run support on a fourth-and-1 by the Eagles. McGlothern also executed a cornerback blitz at Philadelphia. Although he didn't get the sack of Tanner McKee, who is about 45 pounds heavier — "a big bird" McGlothern said after the game — he did help force an incompletion on another fourth-down play.

"He's definitely put himself right in the conversation to have a chance to make our football team. So, we've got a lot of tough decisions at that position," O'Connell said.

What is the history of Vikings teams that won all of the preseason games, and how well did the team do in the regular season? My brain file-o-facts may have deleted some of the data. It's tough getting old.

SKOL,

— Jerry in Ohio

I never mind going back through the history books to help answer a question.

Since the Vikings inaugural 1961 season, the NFL has scheduled five (1961-68), six (1969-77), four (1978-2019), zero (2020) and three (2021-present) preseason contests for teams (not including Hall of Fame Game participants). The Vikings also played bonus preseason games in 1993 (Berlin) and 1994 (Tokyo).

There have been nine instances in which the Vikings have gone undefeated in a preseason (including 2024).

1964: 5-0 preseason; 8-5-1 regular season

1965: 5-0 preseason; 7-7 regular season

1973: 5-0 preseason; 12-2 regular season

1992: 4-0 preseason; 11-5 regular season

1998: 4-0 preseason; 15-1 regular season

2001: 4-0 preseason; 5-11 regular season

2014: 4-0 preseason; 7-9 regular season

2016: 4-0 preseason; 8-8 regular season

2024: 3-0 preseason; to be determined

Attitudes and approaches toward preseason games have evolved over the years, and there are so many things that can happen during a regular season, but as I mentioned earlier, there are several aspects commonly found with successful teams that were displayed during the exhibition contests.

I am still undecided about the new type of kickoffs. My biggest problem: How can you create a turnover late in the game? Perhaps one modification would be to allow each team two old-fashion onside kicks per game. It won't be a surprise, but at least the kicking team would have a chance for a turnover? I realize that we are still in preseason … but kickoffs feel boring.

— Bill Dunn in Fairfield, Connecticut

P.S.: Imagine if the kicking team could line up in the new style format, then shift back to the old type of onside kick. That would be a surprise that could make the kickoff the most exciting part of the game!!!

There's considerable intrigue about what the new kickoff will look like for kicking and return teams once the regular season arrives. Coaches have had to balance wanting to learn more against their desire to try to surprise opponents.

We introduced the new kickoff rule before the preseason opened, and it's something we'll continue to monitor.

Through three preseason games, the Vikings kicked off 18 times (including one kick that followed a safety at Cleveland). Eleven of those kickoffs reached the end zone, and eight resulted in touchbacks. Minnesota seemed perfectly fine with opting for touchbacks while playing with the lead.

Opponents kicked off to Minnesota a total of 11 times. Four of those kicks reached the end zone, and three resulted in touchbacks.

Under the new rule, a team can attempt an onside kick but only if trailing in the fourth quarter. The kicking team must declare its intention, but restrictions remain to keep the kicking team from overloading one side of the kicking formation. It seems like Bill is correct in thinking the success rate of onside kicks will be quite low.

I do believe the new kickoff rule has potential to impact games significantly and will lead to more returns after a paltry return rate of just 21.8 percent in 2023. Last season's Super Bowl was the first without a single kickoff return.

Why is it that NFL experts are so disrespectful to the Vikings and the front office and coaches are so high on the team? Who is right? They can't both be right.

— Gary Lueck

Well, I guess everyone can have their own opinion, but the upcoming game results will be what matter most.

I'm looking forward to the return of the regular season for so many reasons.

O'Connell leads from a position of optimism, whether if that's trailing the Colts 33-nada at halftime or starting the fourth quarterback in one season in franchise history.

O'Connell was asked during a media session last week about helping the team push through an "eventful summer."

"My number one role I see for this organization is to be a constant rock of steadiness and being the same guy every day," O'Connell said last Thursday. "Anybody can do that when things are good and things are easy, or you're not experiencing adversity. I believe leadership is showing those things that you say you're about, authentically and real. That doesn't mean that you don't go through the same things right alongside your players and coaches, but you got to do it in a way that provides a path always, moving forward and constantly chasing what we're trying to chase around here.

"I learned a long time ago that there's no sense feeling sorry for yourself, for your circumstances," he added. "There's a place to be there for your team on a 24/7, 365-day basis, but never without projecting hope and genuine excitement because that's how I feel about this organization and our players and coaches."

Coaches and the front office work so hard on trying to build the best team possible through development of young players, acquisition of experience and blending of backgrounds to try to achieve the best a team can.

They've had more in-depth exposure to everyone on the roster, including what's provided from people who have attended some or all training camp practices, or those who have parsed social media for highlights.

Stephon Gilmore is a great signing. Brings depth and experience to the CBs room. Do the captains on the team have a say on free agents we are considering to sign?

— Gerald Goblirsch

Adofo-Mensah has consistently demonstrated a willingness to source information from multiple points.

O'Connell is quite similar, often leaning on a leadership council that involves multiple players.

In Gilmore's case, there are previous relationships with Gilmore playing for Flores in New England (check out this feature by Vikings.com's Rob Kleifield on Flores, which includes a segment about Gilmore's interception in Super Bowl LIII when Flores was calling plays for the Patriots) and for Assistant Head Coach Mike Pettine in Buffalo.

There's also the accolades and game film from a year ago that reinforced Minnesota's decision to add Gilmore.