Vikings HC Declares Starting QB for Preseason Opener
The first three weeks of training camp practices are in the books; it’s time for the preseason now. Head coach Antonio Pierce and his Las Vegas Raiders will travel to the Twin Cities to compete with Kevin O’Connell’s crew. Both organizations have a mysterious QB situation. The visitors employ veteran Gardner Minshew and sophomore Aidan O’Connell, while the Vikings decide between Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy.
Vikings HC Declares Starting QB for Preseason Opener
Darnold, or McCarthy, has been the main storyline in Minnesota’s training camp. So far, Darnold is still favored to start in Week 1, simply based on the premise that he’s taking the vast majority of first-team reps. He is also listed as QB1 in the team’s first unofficial depth chart, while McCarthy is tied for the backup duties with Nick Mullens, who are only separated by the word “or.”
There was some speculation that Darnold could sit out Saturday’s preseason contest, as O’Connell has been on the side of caution when it comes to playing starters in those exhibitions. Kirk Cousins didn’t play in either year with O’Connell calling the shots.
Darnold, however, will be on the field and get some reps, and McCarthy will be too. The head coach was asked about his plan on Thursday.
We are planning to play the majority of our guys. Sam Darnold will start the game, and then we will transition to J.J. McCarthy. I’m very excited to see a significant amount of work and really see him hopefully apply a lot of the things that he has been doing very well.
Kevin O’Connell
O’Connell added that McCarthy “will more than likely turn it over to Jaren Hall to finish.” He also praised the odd man out, Nick Mullens, for his professionalism and knowledge of the system, promising he would continue to get a lot of work throughout training camp. He has been the main quarterback with the third-string offense.
Darnold joined the club after signing a one-year contract worth $10 million following Cousins’ departure in March. The former third-overall pick hopes to find some stability with a vastly superior supporting cast compared to his previous stints with the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers, where he worked in underwhelming surroundings.
In six seasons (three with the Jets, two with the Panthers, and one as backup with the 49ers), Darnold started 56 games and tossed 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions, failing to live up to the hype he entered the league with.
In recent days, he has started to build a connection with three-time Pro Bowler Justin Jefferson, who is obviously the key to Minnesota’s offense. The wideout is the best friend of any quarterback because he can catch bad throws with his absurd catch radius and is open whenever he is in single coverage.
McCarthy hasn’t gotten nearly as much work with the franchise player. His most frequent targets are Jalen Nailor, Trishton Jackson, and Jeshaun Jones, instead of Jefferson and Addison. Still, he has done mostly well against both the first and second-team defenses.
Getting some live reps in an actual game setting will be another step for the 21-year-old who has plenty of time to develop into the best version of himself, which is much more important than starting in Week 1. With roughly a month to go, he could still challenge Darnold for that gig, but for now, Darnold stays ahead of him.
It remains to be seen how the work will be distributed on Saturday. Darnold playing the first quarter (or two drives) and Hall replacing McCarthy in the fourth quarter might be a decent guess.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt