The Minnesota Vikings are on the verge of a perplexing and potentially franchise-shifting dilemma.
Minnesota let two starting-caliber quarterbacks walk out the door this offseason, just so they could push all their chips in on second-year signal-caller J.J. McCarthy before he ever took a regular-season snap. It was almost as if the front office didn’t want another real option in the QB room after it traded for Sam Howell and elevated undrafted rookie Max Brosmer into the third-string spot.
The Vikings wised up before the year actually began, acquiring Carson Wentz as a viable veteran option behind McCarthy — albeit with little time to bring Wentz up to speed before Week 1. It is lucky for the team that it did sign Wentz, who led Minnesota to a 48-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals after McCarthy suffered a serious ankle sprain in Week 2 that could cost him up to a month.
Minnesota now embarks on a two-week trip to Europe, and if Wentz plays well and the team defeats both the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin and the Cleveland Browns in London, the Vikings have a serious question to answer: do they bring McCarthy back into the starting lineup or keep rolling with Wentz?
“Three weeks in, I expected to be assessing J.J. McCarthy’s up-and-down but mostly promising 12 quarters of play. Instead, we’re left with one brilliant quarter, seven bad ones and Carson Wentz leading the Vikings to a blowout Week 3 victory after McCarthy suffered a right ankle sprain,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote Wednesday, September 24. “McCarthy could sit out the next few games, which gives Wentz a longer runway under the tutelage of QB rehab specialist Kevin O’Connell. While McCarthy’s trajectory remains Minnesota’s priority, the sheer dynamics in play over the next month promise to be interesting.”
Carson Wentz May Play Well Enough That Vikings Have to Hold a Healthy J.J. McCarthy Out of Starting Lineup
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy (left) and Carson Wentz (right) of the Minnesota Vikings.
It is relatively amazing to consider that McCarthy, after missing his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury, could lose his job to Wentz after starting for just two weeks.
That probably isn’t a legitimate consideration in Minnesota at this point, though O’Connell did recently make comments indicating that the team won’t rush McCarthy back onto the field — even if he is healthy.
“First and foremost, he’s got to get healthy,” O’Connell told reporters of McCarthy on September 22. “I don’t think it’s one of those things where it’s: hey, the day he’s healthy, and if he’s healthy the night before a game, we’re going to just throw him out there and say, ‘Hey, go figure it out’ type of thing.”
Despite O’Connell’s somewhat muddled explanation of the team’s long-term commitment to McCarthy, ESPN’s Dan Graziano was left shocked by Fowler’s suggestion that Wentz could get some rope even after his younger counterpart’s ankle is fully healed.
“Keeping a healthy McCarthy on the bench just because Wentz has the team on a roll sounds incredible to me, given that the Vikings did not pursue a fallback option for McCarthy this offseason and have consistently trumpeted their confidence in him,” Graziano wrote. “This is a team that won 14 games last season and believes it has a good enough roster to compete for a championship. Let’s see how Wentz does in Dublin against a struggling Steelers defense.”
Kevin O’Connell, Vikings Express Faith in Carson Wentz
GettyQuarterback Carson Wentz of the Minnesota Vikings.
There are also O’Connell’s comments on Wentz to consider, which he made on the September 23 edition of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I’ve always been a fan of Carson’s, going back a long way,” O’Connell said. “Big, strong, smart. I think the game makes sense to him in a lot of ways.”
Minnesota’s head coach went on to list some highlights on Wentz’s resumé, including his draft position.
“I thought it would be a big thing for our team to add that kind of experience — former second [overall] pick in the draft,” O’Connell continued. “A guy that’s been on this quarterback journey at different stops and different capacities and has a unique perspective that can not only help our young quarterback, but can help our whole team.”
Wentz wasn’t overwhelming against Cincinnati Sunday, completing 14-of-20 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. But he managed the game and played efficiently while avoiding any turnovers. If Wentz is capable of keeping that up, then keeping him in the lineup is something the Vikings must at least consider.
And if the team goes back to McCarthy in Week 7 after its two-game jaunt to the United Kingdom and subsequent bye, and McCarthy struggles — Minnesota will then have to seriously contemplate making the even more shocking (and potentially more damaging) move of pulling a healthy McCarthy in favor of the 32-year-old Wentz.
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