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Should The Vikings Keep Three Quarterbacks?

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

We've less than 20 days away from the first Training Camp practice for the Minnesota Vikings at Minnesota State University-Mankato, and there are plenty of questions out there to be answered about the make-up of our favorite football team. One of those questions centers around the most important position on the field, that being the quarterback position.

We know that the team is set at starter with Teddy Bridgewater, and that long-time veteran Shaun Hill is slated to be his back-up. But the Vikings currently have two other quarterbacks on their roster, and as the team has generally kept three quarterbacks around, the "battle" for the #3 spot on that depth chart could be one that bears watching.

In one corner, there's "veteran". . .I guess. . .Mike Kafka. Kafka was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, but never could make the metamorphosis into a starter in the NFL. (Yes, the "metamorphosis" thing is the only Kafka joke I have. . .my apologies.) Kafka has only attempted 16 NFL passes in his career, and none since 2011. The Vikings got a look at him at the Veterans Combine a couple of months ago, and were impressed enough to bring him in for a look.

On the other side, we have rookie Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke played his college ball at Old Dominion, and put together a pretty impressive resume. He won the Walter Payton Award, given to the best player in the FCS, as a sophomore in 2012. That season, he threw for over 5,000 yards and recorded 44 touchdown passes, and added an additional 11 scores on the ground. This past year, he threw for over 4,000 yards and had 33 touchdown passes. He also threw in 13 punts for 539 yards, including a 61-yarder.

Alternatively, the team could elect to keep only two quarterbacks, as a number of NFL teams do. However, I'm not sure if that's wise. If the team gets to the point where they're calling the third-string quarterback, they're in trouble anyway (as most NFL teams are), but it would be nice to have someone else in reserve and not, say, Jerick McKinnon out there running the wishbone or something. I'm not sure if either Kafka or Heinicke has a clear advantage going into camp. . .Kafka is bigger (by about two inches in height and fifteen pounds) and has some NFL experience, but Heinicke is five years younger and could, potentially, be more of a "developmental" type of quarterback for the Vikings going forward.

Who do you think wins the battle for the third quarterback spot with the Vikings? Do the Vikings even keep three quarterbacks?