Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell made it clear that Sam Darnold is their QB1 heading into training camp next month. Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy appears to have a long way to go before he can eclipse Darnold, per a report about McCarthy’s performance at mandatory minicamp.
According To Kevin Seifert with ESPN, the Vikings will have a quarterback competition in training camp set up to find who will be Darnold’s backup.
“We haven’t had to put out a depth chart or anything like that,” O’Connell said, “but yeah, I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based upon the spring he’s had, and really where he’s at in his career and his quarterback journey, and what he’s been able to do coming in and [hitting] the ground running and taking advantage of a competitive situation.”
As previously discussed on GH, McCarthy has had challenges with accuracy during OTAs. Alex Lewis with The Athletic reported McCarthy had improved during practice last Thursday
Per Seifert, McCarthy talked more about how he’s trying to learn the NFL than he is trying to surpass Darnold for the starting job. Seifert notes again that McCarthy is dealing with accuracy issues during practice.
Close observers have noticed some strong throws, including a dart last week to receiver Trent Sherfield on the final day of mandatory minicamp, as well as some that bounced in front of receivers or sailed over their heads.
Asked whether that makes it easier to accept mistakes he has made, McCarthy said: “I definitely get down on myself, just being the perfectionist that I am. But you have to [accept it]. They’re inevitable. Failure is inevitable in sports. You’ve just got to learn from them and learn from those little dips and not be attached to them emotionally. That’s what I’ve been working on.”
By trading up to take McCarthy with the No. 10 pick, the Vikings have decided to invest in him as their full-time starter in the future. However, McCarthy doesn’t appear ready to assume that job to start the season—maybe not for the entire 2024 season. McCarthy’s accuracy issues are more concerning than his trouble learning how to handle the pre-snap offense.
McCarthy is looking like a project quarterback after the spring. With more reps and a season behind Darnold, the National Championship-winning quarterback could be better positioned to compete for a starting job next year.
