Yes, the Minnesota Vikings traded up a spot in the first round to ensure they landed Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy. However, the organization also believes in veteran journeyman and offseason acquisition Sam Darnold, so what now?
Signs are that the Vikings’ positional “battle” between Darnold and McCarthy will be over before it can begin. Regardless of what the eye test may say, the former appears to have a firm grip on being the Week 1 starter (and beyond). But what does this decision apparently made by Minnesota tell us about the latter (if anything)?
On Saturday, KeynoteUSA’s Jeremy Fowler appeared on SportsCenter, revealing that the Vikings feel there is “untapped potential” in Darnold. If that’s true, though, it’s pretty strange that Minnesota has effectively ruled McCarthy out of the race at this point in the offseason. Is this a criticism of the rookie and his development (or lack thereof)?
After losing Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, the Vikings were eager to pursue a young signal-caller in this year’s NFL Draft. Based on the circumstances and McCarthy’s Draft pedigree, shouldn’t he deserve more consideration to be under center sooner rather than later? During Fowler’s segment, the NFL insider made additional comments, leading us to believe that Minnesota’s having Darnold reflects more on the former Wolverine than you might think.
Fowler indicates that Minnesota would let McCarthy sit on the bench for an “unknown number of games,” under the impression that Darnold could “thrive if all goes well.” Even if it ends up being “a full season,” the Vikings want the 2024 No. 10 pick ready to run a pass-based offensive scheme.
“…no matter how many games they believe he (McCarthy) can learn a high-volume passing system behind the scenes…” Fowler said.
That’s a pretty notable stat, considering Michigan was one of the top rushing teams in college football in 2023. The Wolverines finished 117th of 133 in the nation in passing game percentage last season (40.43).
By contrast, the Vikings had the third-highest passing game percentage in the NFL last season (63.31). So, you can see why Minnesota doesn’t want to put too much on McCarthy’s plate at once.
Whether Vikings fans like it or not, McCarthy doesn’t look like a threat to usurp Darnold on the depth chart anytime soon. Furthermore, reports suggest that he has a lot to do with the former’s slow progression, as Minnesota has faith in the latter.
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