A Minnesota Vikings analyst is not buying the injury that quarterback J. J. McCarthy is dealing with. KSTP’s Darren Wolfson is not buying McCarthy’s injury, as the Vikings get set to finish their preseason slate.
McCarthy’s injury stems from last Saturday’s preseason contest against the Baltimore Ravens. He took multiple hits throughout the course of the game. This occurred during the first quarter of the game, as the Ravens brought their defensive pressure. The quarterback ended up hobbling off the practice field a little bit earlier than anticipated, in what was a difficult sequence for the Vikings at the time.
Wolfson Gives Take On Injury To Vikings QB
He tried to practice through it earlier this week. However, he did not practice on Wednesday, as coach Kevin O’Connell gave the quarterback a rest day. As Wolfson noted, McCarthy practiced on Monday and Tuesday. This is part of the reason why the analyst does not necessarily believe in the injury at the moment.
“So J.J. McCarthy practices on Monday, he practices on Tuesday. He practices on Tuesday. Then all of a sudden can’t go yesterday. I’m not buying it. I’m sorry. That was goofy watching him walk. He was walking normally. It just didn’t add up to me.”
Rumors have been swirling about a potential McCarthy trade, with the roster cutdowns happening at the end of the preseason. Most recently, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio noted that McCarthy might be cut from the 53-man roster. Benjamin Allbright of KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM reported on Wednesday that teams have been exploring the possibility of trading for McCarthy.
Vikings Backup QB Spot Far From Settled
As of this writing, Carson Wentz is pulling away at the backup position, with McCarthy trailing behind. Both quarterbacks have been evenly splitting second-team reps during practices. The injury McCarthy suffered last Saturday is certainly not helping either. This has given Wentz a bigger opportunity to take reps and continue to compete for the job, per Bring Me The Sports’ Johnathan Harrison.
This is certainly a bit of a shocking development, given that McCarthy’s injury seemed severe at the time. Friday’s preseason game against the Denver Broncos will allow the Vikings to get an opportunity to see what McCarthy can do one final time before the start of the regular season. Whether or not that injury will play into that side of things will be interesting.
In any event, this has not been an easy summer for McCarthy. From being the starting quarterback last season to losing his job this summer, he has definitely had to deal with adversity. Now, his Vikings future faces uncertainty as roster cuts and additional quarterback depth begin to play a role in things. Ultimately, McCarthy knows what his injury is and how severe it is. One thing that is for certain is that it has bothered him throughout the course of training camp. It has now gone from a precautionary exit from Saturday’s game to something that was a storyline throughout the course of this week.
It will be interesting to see how the situation develops. Either way, McCarthy needs to have a big weekend, as others begin to inch their way into the quarterback competition.
Vikings Insider Says J.J. McCarthy Injury “Doesn’t Add Up”