Is Webb No. 3 already?

The Vikings severely reduced the number of reps Sage Rosenfels received in minicamp last week, culminating with none in the more meaningful sessions of practice. Does that mean they are ready to move on without Rosenfels and make rookie Joe Webb their third QB?

Are the Vikings close to parting ways with Sage Rosenfels?

It certainly seemed that way after the veteran quarterback saw almost no work in the team’s minicamp practices on Saturday and Sunday last week. Rosenfels, in fact, received no snaps in 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 drills in the final day of the camp.

Asked about the situation with Rosenfels, coach Brad Childress said: “Just rotating him around a little bit. We try to expose all those guys to all situations and it wouldn’t be uncommon for you to see here (at Winter Park) or in training camp where you’re trying to expose two quarterbacks and shutting (another) guy down for a day.

“I really wouldn’t make anything of that other than we were trying to expose those other three quarterbacks to some of that red area stuff and some of that blitz stuff yesterday.”

Rosenfels, however, refused to comment after both the Saturday and Sunday practices and it was clear he was less than thrilled to have not only fallen behind Tarvaris Jackson but also rookie Joe Webb.

Webb, whom the Vikings took in the sixth-round out of Alabama-Birmingham, got many of the second-team reps throughout the weekend.

Webb’s rise as a quarterback with the Vikings is interesting considering the expectation was that he would be moved to wide receiver and only is playing quarterback because the Vikings were so impressed by what they saw from him when he threw some passes at the end of their rookie minicamp.

It appears Childress would like to go with a quarterback depth chart that would include Brett Favre, Jackson and Webb. That would leave Rosenfels as the odd man out.

Rosenfels had been obtained from Houston for a fourth-round pick after the 2008 season and was expected to compete with Jackson for the starting job in 2009. That, of course, was before Favre arrived.

The key question is what would the Vikings be able to get for Rosenfels? Obviously, the Vikings won’t have much leverage because teams will know Rosenfels has fallen down the depth chart.

NOTES

The Vikings signed running back Ryan Moats, who was recently released by the Houston Texans. Childress is familiar with Moats, having been Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator in 2005 when the Eagles drafted Moats. Moats will compete with Albert Young, Darius Reynaud and Ian Johnson for the No. 3 running back job behind Adrian Peterson and second-round pick Toby Gerhart.

Moats on what he expects his role to be with the Vikings: “I’m going into this thing blind. I don’t really know what my role will be. I’m just going to go in and whatever I fall into as far as whatever role they want me to play I’ll play it. I’m just going to try to be a total team player, not expect anything from anybody. Just go in and fight and whatever role that I develop over the time during training camp that’s the role that obviously I will take. If it’s that role (on third down) than I will take that role. If it’s not, then I will take whatever role that’s given.”

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I saw a guy that is taking another step within the system and has the wisdom of watching a very good quarterback play last year and operate in this system like a master at the piano.” — Vikings coach Brad Childress talking about the development he is seeing from Tarvaris Jackson and noting that watching Brett Favre last season did not hurt Jackson.