J.J. McCarthy Mystery Finally Solved for Vikings
Have you wondered about J.J. McCarthy’s role in the preseason?
The Vikings’ preseason plan for J.J. McCarthy is no longer a mystery. A new report from Thor Nystrom reveals when fans can expect to see him take the field.
It became the scene of the crime last year, as McCarthy busted his meniscus in his first-ever preseason game, causing him to hit the shelf for all of 2024. His injury cleared the way for Sam Darnold’s reclamation season, which featured a 14-3 record for Minnesota, along with an unceremonious Wild Card Round playoff exit.
Well, according to FantasyLife‘s Thor Nystrom, McCarthy will indeed play in the preseason — 11 days from now.
Report: J.J. McCarthy Will Play in the Preseason
The young signal-caller will get exhibition reps this summer.
J.J. McCarthy Will Play in Preseason Opener
Nystrom tweeted Monday, the start of the second week of Vikings training camp, “I can confirm something that the Vikings have strongly hinted at — JJ McCarthy will play in the first preseason game (vs HOU/Aug 9), but the plan is to sit him out in the last 2 (vs NEP/Aug 16 | at TEN/Aug 22).”
Until Monday, fans had settled on the prediction that McCarthy would probably play in the preseason. Nystrom’s reporting confirms it.
… And That Might Be It
But according to Nystrom, it’s a one-hit wonder for McCarthy in August.
The 22-year-old will evidently get his feet wet against the Houston Texans, playing a few offensive drives, and if head coach Kevin O’Connell is content, the team will put McCarthy under wraps for preseason games No. 2 and No. 3. Minnesota will take on the New England Patriots and travel to Tennessee for a date with the Titans thereafter.
Therefore, circle your calendars: August 9th is must-see television if Nystrom has it right.
What to Expect from McCarthy vs. Texans
McCarthy played wonderfully in his lone preseason appearance last year before meniscus chaos.
He threw accurately, looked poised in the pocket, showcased his wheels, delivered a bomb touchdown to Trishton Jackson, and even shook off a silly interception. No hint of the meniscus tear surfaced during the game, so fans went to bed thinking the franchise had found its golden boy.
There’s no reason to believe that McCarthy will suddenly struggle versus the Texans. The guy might even look better.
All Hope Rests with McCarthy
After six decent seasons of the Kirk Cousins era and a pitstop situation with Darnold, McCarthy is the one big hope to snap the Vikings’ nauseating Super Bowl drought. Minnesota has the NFL’s fourth-best win percentage during the NFL’s Super Bowl era (since 1966), but no championship hardware to show for it.
Minnesota drafted McCarthy to snap that streak of nothingness, hopefully sometime in the next few years.
McCarthy on His Performance at Training Camp
McCarthy told reporters last week about his progress, “Just all the opportunities of growth. That’s the biggest thing I’m looking forward to. There’s so many ways that you can get better in protections and reads and reacting to what the defense is throwing at you in the pocket.”
“And on the back end, there’s just so many ways to improve going against this defense every day. With the coaches and players around us and around me, there’s never a day where you don’t learn anything. You learn a lot.”
McCarthy will become the Vikings’ first-ever quarterback drafted in the Top 10 by the franchise to start a game.
“I learned what windows I can fit the ball in, and what windows I can’t, and being able to really feel what that throw felt like, and if I need to put more trajectory on it or put a little less and throw it a little bit earlier. Different things like that, that just kind of went into play based off reps that were considered a failure, but I consider them a huge learning lesson and a huge opportunity to grow.” McCarthy added.
“There’s gonna be more of those opportunities in this camp. We’re always striving to get better and learn from our mistakes, but at the end of the day, we’re competing a lot, so it’s gonna be fun to go out and win some.”
And the man will be on the field to start the preseason.
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