The Vikings are Yet to Solve the Quarterback Issue for 1 Key Reason
Mercifully, J.J. McCarthy is ready to return to the field.
All along, the plan was to give the sophomore a buffet of support to help him acclimate to being an NFL starter. Some of the provisions are still in place but the Vikings are now in a position where they need McCarthy to drive them toward wins. Operating behind McCarthy are UDFA rookie Max Brosmer and veteran journeyman John Wolford. Neither fully solve the issue that Minnesota has punted down the field for a fix that needs to arrive later on.
The Vikings are Yet to Solve 1 QB Issue
In Proverbs, there’s a verse about throwing hot coals in one’s lap while not getting burned. Framed as a rhetorical question, the prompt should lead the reader toward arriving at a clear answer: eventually, the hot coals are going to leave a burn.
Similarly, there’s a playing-with-fire effect when a football team leans on just a pair of passers for a game. If the worst happens — an injury to the starter that ends his day — then only a single passer remains. That’s a precarious position to be in, especially when the QB2 is an undrafted talent (as is the case for Minnesota). Worse yet, the Vikings’ emergency QB3 is running back Cam Akers, someone who lives on the practice squad and who has burned through all his freebie roster elevations.
On Sunday, the Vikings appear quite likely to elevate Wolford.
In fact, Wolford appears likely to get called up for action over these next three weeks. That’s going to involve a road game versus the Lions in Week 9, a home battle against the Ravens in Week 10, and a home contest versus the Bears in Week 11. In other words, no easy games coming up.
Shoring up the quarterback spot with a veteran who is familiar with Coach O’Connell makes a pile of sense. Were the worst case to arrive, Minnesota could insert Wolford and (ideally) arrive at some semblance of competence.
One wonders, however, what is going to happen after Week 11. The practice squad passer can only get elevated a trio of times before needing to be signed to the active roster. Essentially, Wolford can’t get called up endlessly; the NFL’s rules mandate that a roster spot needs to be opened after those three elevations have been used.
The only other alternative is to leave him on the practice squad, meaning he can help with the weekly preparation but not be in shoulder pads for the game.
J.J. McCarthy is the starter. Even if he struggles, J.J. McCarthy is going to remain the starter.
So, hope for good health for all involved but McCarthy most of all since health is the only thing knocking McCarthy out of the lineup. In that scenario — full health — the quarterback conundrum is largely a non-issue since the sophomore can soak up all the snaps.
If, however, there’s an injury or even concern about an injury, then Minnesota needs to clear out roster room before too long. Doing so could arrive courtesy of a cut. Shipping out a player(s) ahead of the deadline for draft picks is another way of opening precious roster spots. At this stage, the trade possibilities are precisely that: possibilities.
Minnesota is going to be evaluating how things proceed at quarterback. The hope is that the QB3 will enter the game as an afterthought while leaving the game as an afterthought, only seen on the television when he’s sitting beside the starter on the bench to decode the replay on the tablet.
The Vikings are nevertheless dealing with a temporary, short-term solution in John Wolford unless there’s room cleared out on that active roster so that another depth passer can be active on an ongoing basis.
