Daily Norseman
I asked in the last open thread how many rosters spots were open and it produced a nice debate about the bottom of the roster. Now, I am wondering who is the leader in the clubhouse for Mr Eagan which used to me Mr Mankato. I prefer to refer to these players as future DN Preseason HOFers. I am guessing it is between Max Brosmer, Elijah Williams, and Joe Huber. What say you?
3 Observations: Justin Jefferson Returns; Vikings Defense Records Picks & Pressures
Christian Darrisaw continued stacking reps with the first group at left tackle. Donovan Jackson (left guard), Ryan Kelly (center), Will Fries (right guard) and Brian O’Neill (right tackle) joined him before Darrisaw was relieved by Justin Skule.
The Vikings shuffled through some combinations on the offensive line.
Skule additionally took reps at right tackle, and Walter Rouse took reps at left tackle to bookend a second grouping of LG Blake Brandel, C Michael Jurgens and RG Joe Huber.
It’s safe to say there’s a lot riding on J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota. The Vikings won 14 games and flirted with the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed a year ago. Instead of paying big bucks to retain the quarterback who led that charge, or courting the aging Aaron Rodgers as Brett Favre 2.0, they pushed all their chips on the young man handpicked to be the future.
Except now McCarthy, 22, isn’t just a symbol of long-term hope. He is the present.
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“[The] roster is built for him to not feel like he has to be Superman,” Vikings captain Josh Metellus told CBS Sports. “So he just has to go out there and do what ‘KO’ tells him to do and let his personality, his play, elevate the offense, not go out there thinking he has to make everybody miss and throw the ball 90 yards down the field. He just has to stick to the scheme, trust his coaches and let everything else take over.”
The truth is just a touch more complicated. Addison, for example, will miss the opening three games of the 2025 season due to suspension. Jefferson has watched practice most of the summer due to hamstring soreness. Big men Ryan Kelly and Will Fries will be making their first starts in purple alongside left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who’s still working his way back from a torn ACL. There’s plenty of reason to believe there will be growing pains in the greater operation, meaning McCarthy won’t be getting a situation so flawless it requires nothing more of him than to simply take the snap and find his first read.
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It still begs the most important question of all: What is J.J. McCarthy?
*Truth is, that’s a question that can only be answered in the thick of an NFL season. When the lights are bright. When the pass rush...
