The Minnesota Vikings could've tagged Case Keenum to bring stability to their quarterback situation this offseason, but instead they're choosing to let Keenum (along with Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater) test free agency, which means they're entering the new league year without a starting quarterback. The best-case scenario sees the Vikings landing the prize of the free agent class of quarterbacks, Kirk Cousins. The worst-case scenario sees the Vikings emerging out of free agency empty handed.

On Thursday at the NFL combine, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer acknowledged the high-stakes nature of free agency. He even admitted that if the Vikings don't get the right quarterback, he'll likely end up as another fired coach who couldn't survive subpar quarterback play.

It's refreshing to hear a coach speak so candidly about the situation. This is a quarterback-driven league and teams without competent quarterbacks so often flounder away into a state of irrelevance. 

That's what makes the Vikings' process a little surprising. The Vikings could've taken the safe and easy route by tagging and ultimately retaining Keenum, who surprisingly led the Vikings to the NFC title game this past season. Nobody would've blamed them for doing so. Passing on a quarterback who completed 67.6 percent of his passes, averaged 7.4 yards per attempt, threw 22 touchdowns and seven interception, and posted a 98.3 passer rating before he engineered maybe the greatest moment in Vikings history isn't an easy decision to make.

Then again, it's also refreshing to see the Vikings refuse to settle for a quarterback who played well in 2017, but has a history of not playing well before arriving in Minnesota. If the Vikings land Cousins, they'll be arguably the Super Bowl favorites in the NFC, right up there alongside the Eagles. They'll be better off than they'd be by settling for Keenum.

But as Zimmer himself said, if he fails to get the right quarterback, the consequences could be devastating. Except, I'm not entirely sure Zimmer can't survive with a mediocre quarterback. Zimmer has built one of the game's best defenses that can carry a team. Keenum made for a great story in 2017, but the strength of the team was its defense, which ranked first in yards allowed, first in points allowed, and second in DVOA. If necessary, the Vikings' defense can overcome subpar quarterback play, just like how the Jaguars carried Blake Bortles to the AFC Championship Game. That's how good Zimmer's defense is.

Zimmer's honesty is refreshing, but he's also selling himself a little short. He might not win a Super Bowl without a good quarterback, but he'll probably survive without one. As much as the league is short on competent quarterbacks, it's arguably even shorter on competent coaches. And Zimmer is more than competent.