On Wednesday, the Vikings added veteran quarterback John Wolford to the practice squad. On Saturday, the Vikings did not sign him to the active roster.
It means the Vikings will have only two quarterbacks available at Detroit — second-year first-rounder J.J. McCarthy and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
Wolford, if signed to the active roster, could have been the emergency quarterback. By rule, he could have entered the game only if the other two were injured or ejected.
Now, the Vikings will have to use a position player at quarterback if that happens.
Some would say that, if an NFL team gets down to its third quarterback in any game, the cause is already lost. Still, the Vikings chose not to take advantage of the device the NFL reintroduced after the 2022 NFC Championship, when the 49ers lost Brock Purdy early and Josh Johnson was later injured and eventually running back Christian McCaffrey was taking snaps.