NFL Insider Weighs in on Vikings QB Competition
Training camp is right around the corner for the Minnesota Vikings. The rookies will report to TCO Performance Center on July 21st, while the veterans get two more vacation days. In the last few years, starting passer Kirk Cousins would generally arrive with the first-year players to have a headstart in preparing for the upcoming season.
NFL Insider Weighs in on Vikings QB Competition
First-round draft choice J.J. McCarthy should be scheduled to be there on the 21st. Darnold could opt to go the Cousins route and arrive that same day.
Regardless of their report dates, either McCarthy will open his debut season under center or on the sidelines. That question will get the most attention in the upcoming training camp. The consensus opinion is that veteran Darnold will get the nod to give McCarthy all the time he needs to prepare for NFL action.
SI’s insider, Albert Breer, appeared on the Rich Eisen Show earlier this week and was asked about Minnesota’s QB situation. He doesn’t anticipate McCarthy to win the job:
I think they think higher of Sam Darnold than a lot of people do. I think the Vikings feel like he is a distressed asset and a guy who wasn’t properly raised in the league and dealt with a lot of rocky waters. I guess there’s almost a Geno Smith quality to it, too, where it’s like this guy’s now had a chance to take a minute and learn from his mistakes. I would implore anyone to watch the fourth quarter of the Niners-Ravens Christmas Game.
I remember watching the end of that game, Darnold played about the last ten minutes, and seeing him in that context, with those receivers around him, and those coaches around him, and playing for Kyle Shanahan, I remember thinking to myself, this guy is playing faster. This looks like a different player. I talked to Kevin O’Connell about that, and he said he saw the same thing. Sam had a really strong spring, so what does that do to J.J. McCarthy? I think it enables them to be patient when they need to be patient with J.J. McCarthy.
Albert Breer
Indeed, that is the common theory. Darnold hadn’t been in any good situation before he joined the 49ers to be Brock Purdy’s backup. Subpar coaches and weapons corrupted his stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. In Minnesota, Darnold can throw to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, standing behind a solid offensive line with two excellent tackles, and ex-NFL QB Kevin O’Connell is calling the shots.
In his first six NFL seasons, Darnold’s resume shows 56 starts (66 total games), 63 touchdowns, and 56 interceptions. Forcing throws and perhaps an inability to see the field led to the high amount of turnovers, which will certainly be monitored by the Vikings.
It remains to be seen how long the former third-overall pick can keep the QB1 gig before the rookie enters the conversation. Breer made a good point. If Darnold is playing the best football of his career, it would give the franchise a chance to take a patient approach with the former Michigan signal-caller. He could take it slow and learn the correct mechanics and the entire playbook before stepping onto the field. Darnold didn’t get that chance early in his career, which might have contributed to his struggles.
O’Connell said at the end of OTAs that Darnold is currently at the top of the depth chart: “We haven’t had to put out a depth chart or anything like that, but I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based on 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 the competitive situation.”
McCarthy still has a chance if he can blow everyone away at training camp and is simply ready to start, but Darnold is the overwhelming favorite to be the QB1 in Week 1.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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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