After suffering a high ankle sprain, J.J. McCarthy is facing another bump in the road of his NFL journey. The second-year Minnesota Vikings quarterback will be out for a few weeks as he heals up, but a league insider wonders if his starting job will still be waiting for him.
NFL Insider Not Sure J.J. McCarthy Will Be Vikings’ Starter After Injury Return
Without McCarthy behind center, the Vikings dominated the Cincinnati Bengals during a 48-10 win on Sunday, thanks in large part to an incredible defensive performance from Isaiah Rodgers. Journeyman passer Carson Wentz, making a start for his sixth team in as many seasons, went 14 for 20 for 173 yards and two touchdowns through the air as McCarthy sat out.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer was asked on Monday if he thinks McCarthy will get his starting job back if things continue to go well for the Vikings without him.
“I think he does,” Breer said. “I just think he does. But I think this is a team that, with such a high ceiling, at the other 21 positions, that you have to give that team every chance you can to compete for a championship. This isn’t a team that’s built where you say you can throw the season overboard in the name of quarterback development.”
“If you think, ‘We’re gonna be the 7 seed instead of the 2 seed because our young quarterback is gonna go through a lot of developmental things over the course of the year, and we think this other guy over here will help us avoid those sorts of bumps.’ Then yeah, you have to consider it.”
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Heading into the Vikings’ commanding triumph over the Bengals, McCarthy shed his walking boot. Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell revealed the change and termed it a “precaution.” O’Connell also said McCarthy is walking on his ankle
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The Vikings play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin on Sunday and will remain overseas for a Week 5 matchup with the Cleveland Browns after that. They’ll have a bye during Week 6 before returning to face off with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I do feel good about where he’s at in the early stages,” O’Connell said of McCarthy’s recovery timeline. “I can say I feel pretty strongly as of right now that we’re on the daily kind of work to get healthy and get him back to 100% as soon as we can.”
