Remember Who’s One Snap Away for the Vikings
Carson Wentz will likely start for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, with J.J. McCarthy’s status up in the air as the 22-year-old recovers from a high ankle sprain. And with two hobbled quarterbacks, the other guy — Max Brosmer — will remain one snap away from leading the offense.
With two somewhat injured quarterbacks, the team’s QB3 has unusual importance, and he’s one snap away from meaningful action for the time being.
Brosmer made a name for himself during the Vikings’ preseason games, and because of his poise and production in those three contests, he made the active roster. Now, he’s in a unique situation.
Don’t Forget Max Brosmer at QB3 for the Vikings
There’s a perfect storm for Brosmer to play if a quarterback goes down.
Brosmer Is the Only Fully Healthy Vikings Quarterback
J.J. McCarthy has a high ankle sprain, which should be fully healed by Week 9 against the Detroit Lions. Carson Wentz injured his left shoulder in a win over the Cleveland Browns in London, using the bye week to get right and become a full practice participant this week.
You know who’s not injured at all? Brosmer — the team’s undrafted rookie quarterback from the University of Minnesota.
The club let go of emergency signal-caller Desmond Ridder a couple of weeks ago, leaving Brosmer as the last man standing among his injured peers.
Will J.J. McCarthy Dress as QB2?
The next question regarding Minnesota’s iffy quarterback situation is McCarthy’s role on Sunday, That is — will he dress and serve as an emergency quarterback behind Wentz, if Wentz as the starter comes to fruition? Or will the team rule him out, with Brosmer as the only viable passer?
The latter scenario would, of course, make Brosmer even closer to the offense’s reins. In fact, Brosmer saw action in garbage time during a Vikings romp over the listless Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. Then, in Week 5, when Wentz suffered the shoulder injury, Minnesota needed a quarterback under center to kneel the ball down before halftime. That was Brosmer.
Brosmer has habitually been quite close to taking over Kevin O’Connell’s offense since the start of Week 3. One of these games, it might just happen.
The Preseason Love Affair
Brosmer wasn’t supposed to be any good. Let’s get that out there. NFL fans will channel fun memories of Kurt Warner and Tony Romo, but undrafted quarterbacks almost never amount to anything besides practice squad commodities and fringe QB3 options.
So when the preseason rolled around for Minnesota, and Brosmer saw extended action because the Vikings don’t like to play starters in August, the man looked great. Brosmer showed a calm presence, comfort within the preseason offense, and some impressive layered throws.
From those first couple of drives, fans have sideways stared at Brosmer with “what if?” dreams.
Fans Curious about the Brock Purdy Storyline
On the what-if, well, that’s the Brock Purdy angle.
In the summer of 2022, the San Francisco 49ers embarked on training camp with quarterback Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo, Nate Sudfeld, and some 7th-Round dude named Brock Purdy. Lance was expected to earn the QB1 job outright, with Garoppolo as a contender and option in case of emergency.
Soon after, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan realized that Purdy was his most talented quarterback, and before too long, Purdy took over the QB1 job.
Purple fans have wondered in the shadows if Brosmer could be their Purdy. Live-game action in the regular season would go a long way in issuing a verdict on that theory.
The Viking Age on Brosmer
Anthony Miller of The Viking Age noted on Brosmer this week, “Max Brosmer is setting himself up with a sweet gig of being the backup QB with the Minnesota Vikings for a long time. There haven’t been a ton of opportunities for Brosmer to play this season, but he did come in for garbage time against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3.”
“He finished by completing two of four passes for 29 yards. Brosmer also had one kneel down in the Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns. It’s clear that Brosmer still needs to develop his game, but Minnesota is the perfect situation for him. He gets to play in the state where he went to college.”
It’s worth noting that Brosmer is about two years older than McCarthy.
Miller continued, “He sits behind two good quarterbacks, Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy, and has a great tutor in O’Connell. These early years will be important for Brosmer as he learns to play quarterback at the NFL level without being rushed on the field like a first-round pick. He can work out normally and observe from the sidelines to see everything.”
“Minnesota wouldn’t be investing its time in an undrafted rookie like Brosmer if it didn’t believe he could be a future NFL backup for a long time. If O’Connell sees something in him, that should be enough to excite Vikings fans for the future.”
Whether long-term QB2 or Purdy-like QB1, Brosmer should have a spot on the Vikings’ roster for the next few years — and he’s one snap away from the bright lights right now.
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