The J.J. McCarthy Return Plans Come to Light
The Minnesota Vikings (somehow) won their Week 5 matchup in London and enter the bye week with a 3-2 record. Quarterback Carson Wentz guided the Vikings to a 2-1 record as the starter. His play hasn’t been spectacular by any means, but it’s been good enough to win a couple of games.
J.J. McCarthy Return Plans Come to Light
Therefore, it is understandable that some people wonder whether Wentz should keep the job even once J.J. McCarthy is ready to return from his ankle injury.
After the game, Kevin O’Connell was asked whether it is Wentz’s job to lose now, and he gave a typical O’Connell non-answer: “I’m just excited we got the win today, and we’re going to move forward in this bye and get as healthy as we can at all positions, and attack this thing for the next few games.”
Sure, either benching Wentz half an hour after a triumphant game-winning drive or benching the 22-year-old franchise QB hopeful while he’s hurt would be a strange move. Delaying any decision by a week or two makes sense from an organizational standpoint, and there really is no decision to be made at this point.
Wideout Jordan Addison, who had a controversial day in his own right, talked to the media after the game, and he described his bye week plans, suggesting that he’s planning to work with McCarthy in the upcoming week, “I’m going to be around the building, catching with J.J. McCarthy. Just getting ready with him.”
Perhaps that means nothing, or the players think it’s McCarthy’s team.
Well, we have some reporters detailing McCarthy’s recovery plan for the near future.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said Sunday, “My understanding is the plan is for McCarthy to return to practice next week, get some reps during the bye. They’ll see how he does. Then, try to get him back to full participation heading into Week 7 against the Eagles.”
Pelissero is as tuned in as anyone in the business when it comes to the Minnesota Vikings. He added, “Let’s be clear: The Vikings are not just focused on when and how quickly they can get J.J. back on the field. They’re also focused on when they can get him in a groove and ready to play well. This is not some type of soft benching. He has a legit high ankle sprain.”
The soft benching rumors have always been quite absurd. Some suggested that the Michigan alumnus didn’t play well, and the Vikings invented an injury as a reason to give him some time off, completely going against everything O’Connell has ever said (or done) about quarterback development. He seems to be a fan of players working through their issues on the field, and it’s not as if the struggles of a 22-year-old in his first games came as a surprise.
Pelissero concluded, “This is a guy who not only missed his entire rookie season because of knee surgery, he hasn’t practiced on consecutive days since before the Week 1 opener this year. They do want to get, and fully intend, for J.J. McCarthy to be back in the lineup, but they want to be smart about how they do it.”
The Vikings want McCarthy to log a full week of practice before throwing him out there, and considering the operational flaws in his first two games, he (and the offense) certainly need those reps.
We have no idea how well last year’s tenth overall pick is progressing. Ankle sprains can take some time. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini wrote on Sunday, “The medical staff projected a four-to-six week recovery, and coach Kevin O’Connell has been clear that McCarthy won’t play until he’s had a full week of practice. To this point, he hasn’t returned in any capacity, not even on a limited basis.”
Sunday was exactly the three-week mark, so a return after the bye week would mean a return after five weeks. Even if he needs another week, it’s too early to hit the purple panic button.
After shutting down the fake injury speculation, Russini added, “For now, his focus is on capping a two-week European trip with a win over the Browns. And O’Connell has earned the benefit of the doubt that when McCarthy is ready, when he’s had a full week of practice and when he’s healthy, he’ll be the starter. I’ve been told by multiple sources that McCarthy isn’t healthy, and while the target return has been Week 7 against the Eagles, it could still be longer. I’m told, ‘nothing to see here.'”
Expect the signal-caller to return to practice in some capacity in the upcoming days, and he’ll slowly ramp up his workload. If that’s enough for a Week 7 start against the Philadelphia Eagles, that remains to be seen and is a question for next week.
McCarthy has played in two games, going 1-1. He has three touchdowns (one rushing) and three interceptions in his NFL resume.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.