AP

The Vikings don’t have quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the lineup on Thursday night, but it isn’t for the reason they wanted Bridgewater on the sideline.

Bridgewater tore his ACL and dislocated his knee on Tuesday and was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, leaving the Vikings with Shaun Hill at the top of the depth chart at quarterback. The Vikings never looked for a backup to challenge or supplant Hill this offseason, which suggests they felt comfortable with the prospect of having him step in for an injured Bridgewater in 2016.

General Manager Rick Spielman said as much on Thursday.

“There’s no one in the organization who doesn’t think Shaun Hill can take us where we want to go,” Spielman said, via Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Spielman said the team is looking at their options at quarterback, which presumably would include a trade or signing someone who shakes loose from another roster this weekend. Spielman correctly noted that “good quarterbacks don’t fall out of trees” and some of the best options would likely come at a premium cost, which may be more than the Vikings are willing to pay for a quarterback who may only be a band-aid in Minnesota.