J.J. McCarthy had an interesting return to action following his knee injury from last year. He didn’t have eye-popping numbers in the Minnesota Vikings’ first preseason game this weekend, going just 4-for-7 with 30 yards. In fact, he was graded the third-best quarterback that suited up for Minnesota. I’m sure the Vikings are being cautious with McCarthy after his season was cut short in the preseason last year. But right now reps are important if he’s the projected Week 1 starter.
The Vikings put all their eggs in the McCarthy basket, so they can’t afford lackluster preseason performances from him. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Sam Howell looked decent in Kevin O'Connell's offense; he’s been around for a few years and started for the Washington Commanders at one point. If he has another strong showing, the whispers could get louder about whether McCarthy is really ready to get this team where it has the talent to go.
J.J. McCarthy needs to play better if he wants the confidence of Minnesota Vikings, fan base
Simply put, third-best isn’t going to cut it for McCarthy in preseason play. That starts with getting more opportunities. The Vikings should be careful with his usage in the preseason; that said, they can’t afford to not let him get the game reps now to instill some confidence in him. He only threw seven passes, which isn’t a large sample size.
I wouldn’t get too wrapped up in preseason numbers. Just like it’s not wise to get too high on a player that plays well, it’s equally important to not get too low on a player that struggled. McCarthy’s situation is different in the sense that he didn’t get the reps to really get into a rhythm.
There’s no need to hit the panic button yet on McCarthy. Pro Football Focus grades aren’t going to dictate much other than give fans one more thing to use to analyze their favorite team’s players. They give you a snippet of how good they are and what they’re contribution is to the team. For McCarthy right now, the only thing that matters is reps.
Protecting his health is most important. But cutting his snaps to make sure he stays healthy could ultimately set the Vikings up for a rude awakening this season. You don’t want to waste McCarthy’s meaning snaps with more development. That should be when he uses his shortcomings in the preseason to improve, not figure out what he still needs to improve on.