The Minnesota Vikings are in the middle of another QB battle to determine who is their backup behind Kyler Murray. After losing the battle to Murray, J.J. McCarthy was given the QB2 status, but after two preseason games and training camp practices, that might be at risk.
Veteran QB Carson Wentz could be looking to take the backup job from McCarthy. Ahead of the preseason finale against the Denver Broncos, McCarthy and Wentz split the second-team reps.
Both players played a quarter in the 13-3 preseason loss to the Baltimore Ravens. During his time on the field, McCarthy went 5-for-10 on his pass attempts for 81 yards, and he was sacked once.
Meanwhile, Wentz took over for McCarthy afterward, and the veteran signal-caller went 9-for-11 for 92 passing yards and was sacked twice. On Aug. 26, Wentz spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on McCarthy moving from starter to backup amid their competition.
“It’s definitely hard, and he’s so young,” Wentz said (h/t Dawn Mitchell of FOX 9). “At the end of the day, he’s extremely young, and people can, in this day and age with media and social media, be driven by a lot of those things, and it can be tough.
“Personally, that’s why I don’t read a lot of it. I’m not engaged in a lot of it, but at the end of the day, it can be tough for young guys. I feel for him, especially with the injuries. I’ve had my fair share. They suck. They’re no fun, and they’ll really test you as a man, test your faith and test a lot of things. Obviously, I’m bummed for him, just for the injuries and how things have gone.”
Carson Wentz: J.J. McCarthy Has a Bright Future
Last season as the starter, McCarthy had 310 pass snaps, leading to a 61.8 overall PFF grade. He also threw for 1,632 passing yards and 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, while recording 19 big-time throws and 15 turnover-worthy plays.
Despite dealing with injuries and not fighting to be the backup, Wentz noted that he sees a bright future for McCarthy. The question will be whether that will be in Minnesota or elsewhere.
“I’m still excited for his future, whatever that may be,” Wentz added. “He’s extremely young and extremely talented. I would just encourage him not to let whatever’s happened in the last couple of weeks define the rest of his story because he’s so young and still has a bright future.”
Vikings Need to Be 100 Percent Sure J.J. McCarthy Is a Bust
In an Aug. 25 article, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio suggested that McCarthy could be in jeopardy of not making the roster by Aug. 30, when rosters are reduced to 53.
As a result, on the Aug. 26 edition of “Purple Daily,” Phil Mackey noted that if this is the end of the line for McCarthy in Minnesota, the entire front office and coaching staff need to be 100 percent sure that the former first-round pick won’t have success elsewhere.
“Are you sure he’s a bust?” Mackey said. “Because a lot of people are convinced that J.J. McCarthy is a dud. He’s a bust. Are people not even slightly worried about the Vikings potentially bailing on him before the season?
“… That’s my only question: Are you not a little worried that this whole process is going to come back to bite the Vikings and look really bad in like two years?”
Vikings’ Carson Wentz Doesn’t Hold Back on J.J. McCarthy