Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be sidelined with an ankle injury, thrusting veteran Carson Wentz into the starting role ahead of a pivotal stretch of the season.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, McCarthy will be out two to four weeks with a high ankle sprain. After missing his entire rookie year with a meniscus tear, McCarthy’s additional time off is a cause for concern, given he needs to see the field to develop.
“It’s concerning. He’s missed 18 games and played in two; at some point, young quarterbacks need to get on the field. This is an organization and a team [that’s] very good,” ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said. “They have entrusted the future of the team in his hands. He needs to be on the field to feel the speed of the pass rush, to feel the speed about [passing] windows in the NFL closing faster than college. Not going to overreact and hopefully this is a short-term thing, but the fact that he’s missed 18 games and played in two, that has to be concerning in the building.”
Carson Wentz Could Derail JJ McCarthy’s Development
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz.
How Wentz carries the Vikings, currently 1-1, in McCarthy’s absence will play a major role in when the 22-year-old may return.
If Wentz wins out, he may seize the starting reins of a team ready to win now for the rest of the season.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility, considering the Vikings passing game with McCarthy ranks 32nd in expected points added (EPA) — the offense as a whole ranks 31st.
McCarthy hasn’t gotten a fair shake, playing without his starting left tackle, second wide receiver and several other offensive contributors who got injured midgame in Week 2.
But it hasn’t looked good. He’s played one good quarter and struggled for the other seven.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell preached that the offense taking flight is going to take time, but the Vikings cannot afford to get out to a slow start, given the daunting divisional schedule late in the season.
“This is going to be a process for our team,” O’Connell said. “Our young quarterback is going to make some plays. He’s going to make some unbelievable throws. … And then, other times, he’s going to have an attempt and just miss something a little long, and we will go back and try to fix it.”
If Wentz cannot keep the team at or above .500, pivoting back to McCarthy will be an easy call. The 22-year-old will have plenty of runway to develop with the hopes of a late-season push for a wild-card spot.
However, if Wentz wins three or four games and the Vikings are on pace with the rest of the NFC contenders, it would be controversial to hand the keys back to McCarthy while he’s still on his learner’s permit.
Vikings’ Worst-Case Scenario With JJ McCarthy Revealed
If Wentz were to take the job and run with it, which we saw Sam Darnold do a year ago, McCarthy will end his second season in Minnesota with just two career starts.
That’s a serious concern as the Vikings would hope to have a more developed quarterback on a rookie-scale deal at this point in their timeline when they moved off Kirk Cousins.
McCarthy must see the field more once he returns from injury if he’s going to be fully prepared for a pivotal third season under center.
However, the margin of error will be increasingly obsolete as we enter the middle of the schedule.
This was the time for McCarthy to make mistakes, learn and get a feel for the game.
That developmental time now is deferred, either to the middle of the season — which would assume the Vikings are on the outside looking in at the playoff chase — or next year, if the Vikings thrive with Wentz.
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