The Vikings’ QB1 is Going to Get a Seat on the Bench Tomorrow
Safe to say things feel different around the Minnesota Vikings. Losing No. 10 pick J.J. McCarthy for the season can do that.
On Wednesday, Kevin O’Connell met with the media as his team was preparing to practice against the Cleveland Browns. Sam Darnold, the Vikings’ QB1, is looking more important than ever. So while he picked up a lot of work in the Cleveland practices, Darnold isn’t going to pick up work in the Cleveland game.
Sam Darnold, The Vikings’ QB1, to Sit on Saturday
Credit where it’s due: Jeff Diamond of Vikings Territory called this one.
The former GM commented on the situation in his column for VT early on Wednesday: “With the Vikings starting offense moving the ball well–even if it was only preseason—I don’t expect to see any starters play in the next two preseason games. The Vikings first-stringers will see a lot of action in the two days of joint practices this week in Cleveland so there’s no need to expose them in a game that doesn’t count in the standings.”
At least when it comes to Mr. Darnold, Diamond would appear to be correct. Oh, and with Darnold specifically, Diamond offered this thought: “Now the Vikings must keep Darnold healthy as they approach the regular season and hope he can finally produce as he was expected to when he was picked third overall by the Jets in 2018.”
O’Connell noted that his starting QB would be getting a lot of work during joint practices, an opportunity that was exciting for all involved. That work, in many ways, replaces what would be gained during the preseason: “We’re going to get a pretty good amount of work, 1s versus 1s out here, the next two days.”
As for Mr. Darnold, there is benefit that makes the preseason game somewhat superfluous: “So for Sam, and really all of our quarterbacks, we’ve got a good plan in place for Saturday for the game. I don’t believe Sam will play in that football game; expect him to get a heck of a good amount of work right out here on this field.”
All offseason, Sam Darnold has been the Vikings’ QB1.
Back in June, the head coach relayed that he viewed Darnold as the lead passer. “We haven’t had to put out a depth chart or anything like that,” O’Connell noted, “but yeah I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based upon the spring he’s had. And really where’s he at in his career, in his quarterback journey. And what he’s been able to do coming in and really hit the ground running and really kind of take advantage of a competitive situation.”
In a lot of ways, very little changes with the McCarthy injury. Darnold is still being leaned on to make the Minnesota offense go. What is different is simply that the competition has been considerably lessened, which is to say nothing of McCarthy’s development stalling/slowing.
Last season, Sam Darnold was a backup QB in San Francisco, soaking up wisdom from Kyle Shanahan along the way. Taking a run to the Super Bowl with the 49ers was invaluable experience that can hopefully lead to a new and improved Darnold.
Signed to a $10 million deal, Sam Darnold has always been Plan A for the Vikings in 2024. He’ll now look to improve upon some underwhelming career statistics — 59.7 completion percentage, 63/56 TD-to-INT ratio, 21-35 as a starter — from within a Minnesota offense that’s talented enough to overwhelm most opponents if the QB play is competent.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:25 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 17th. Minnesota will hope to climb to 2-0 without the help from their top passer.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.
