The goalposts continue to move for J.J. McCarthy‘s return for the Minnesota Vikings.
Coming off the bye week, McCarthy made his return to practice after missing three games due to a high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 2. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has maintained that McCarthy must practice for a full week before he returns to action.
McCarthy’s participation in practice hasn’t offered much optimism. McCarthy has been listed as limited in practice while Carson Wentz, ailing from a shoulder injury he sustained in Week 5, has been a full participant.
All signs point to Wentz playing this week against the Philadelphia Eagles, but it’s continuing to trend that waiting for McCarthy could stretch into November.
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reported on October 16 that he “can’t imagine” McCarthy plays on a short week of practice for a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on “Thursday Night Football” next week by virtue of O’Connell wanting McCarthy to get a full week of practice to prepare for his return.
If that’s the case, McCarthy’s return would be pushed back to a November 2 matchup with the Detroit Lions — seven weeks removed from when he injured his ankle.
McCarthy said in his Wednesday news conference that he received second opinions on the ankle injury, and his ankle would require four to six weeks to fully heal.
“It’s getting there, I wouldn’t say it’s 100% but we’re striving every day to get there as fast as possible,” McCarthy said in his Wednesday news conference.
Kevin O’Connell’s QB Instincts Keep J.J. McCarthy Sidelined
If McCarthy had it his way, he would be on the field this week.
“Me, selfishly, I’m gonna play if it was off or not,” McCarthy said. “But we’ve got to be smart here and understand there’s a lot of things that go into place. At the end of the day, I’m just gonna do what I’m told and try to get better as fast as possible.”
While it is frustrating for fans eager to see what the Vikings have in the 22-year-old quarterback, O’Connell has earned a cache of trust in making the right decision at quarterback that cannot go overlooked.
Coveted for his quote that “organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations,” O’Connell has shown unwavering respect for the quarterback journey. He will not put McCarthy back on the field if he is not fully capable of executing at a high level and protecting himself.
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Must Pass Final Check From O’Connell
For McCarthy to return to the playing field, he must show O’Connell that he is confident in his footwork and mechanics again.
“I think the big thing is just getting him back on the grass in uniform practicing,” O’Connell said this week. “Getting real live reps of a pass rush and, you know, taking drops and applying some of the things that he’s worked really hard on as of late as he’s kind of gotten to that phase of his rehab, applying it, and then when he does that, you know, instant dialogue about what he’s able to do and what it felt like and, ‘Hey, let’s log that away.‘ And then if he doesn’t, the same thing.”
In McCarthy’s first two games, the Vikings offensive line did him no favors, allowing pressure on 40% of dropbacks. The game was moving fast for McCarthy, who has the highest pressure-to-sack percentage in the NFL at 40.9%.
His return will have to see him marry his footwork with his vision and make the right decisions that will avoid sacks and protect himself — hopefully in front of a healthy offensive line.
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