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No one would argue the fact that the Minnesota Vikings had an impressive year last season, winning 14 games despite starting a former first-round ‘bust’ at quarterback for all 17 games. Yet, once the offseason arrived, Sam Darnold became too expensive to retain, especially with J.J. McCarthy being in position to be the team’s future franchise quarterback.
With Daniel Jones also moving on so he could compete for the starting QB job with the Indianapolis Colts, it’s now or never for McCarthy. After missing his entire rookie season with a knee injury, McCarthy will finally get a chance to shine.
Some would argue that the Vikings, thanks to Kevin O’Connell’s ability as a QB whisperer and the presence of a strong offensive line to go with weapons such as Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones, and Jordan Mason, present quarterbacks with the best opportunity to thrive in the entire NFL.
However, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, McCarthy is off to a rough start in training camp so far. She believes Vikings fans will inevitably be “disappointed” with the second-year quarterback.
“Do I think J.J. McCarthy is wowing everyone at training camp?” Russini asked. “No, I don’t… [Vikings fans] are going to be disappointed.”
To be fair, McCarthy is going through his first full training camp, practicing with the first-string offense consistently. There are bound to be growing pains in practice, especially against what’s projected to be a top-five defense led by blitzing wizard Brian Flores.
While McCarthy may be struggling now, the Vikings hope he’s learning from the mistakes so he doesn’t repeat them when the games start to count. The more they throw at him now, the more McCarthy should be prepared for throughout his new journey as an NFL starting QB.
Related: 5 Quarterbacks the Vikings Should Dump Sam Howell For
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