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The Minnesota Vikings are ready to start a new era.
With Kirk Cousins no longer on the premises, they had to pivot and look for a new quarterback, and it didn’t take long before they agreed to terms with Sam Darnold.
Needless to say, no one was completely sold on Darnold being the guy to lead them into the next era, but he was a solid stopgap at the most crucial position.
That’s why they went after Michigan star J.J. McCarthy in the NFL Draft, and while there were some solid reviews early in training camp and some thought he could even have a shot to get the nod to start in Week One, that might no longer be the case.
According to a report by Vikings beat writer Andrew Krammer, it wouldn’t be shocking to see McCarthy fall all the way to QB3 on the depth chart to start the season (Via The Purple Persuasion).
Per @Andrew_Krammer via @AccessVikings, he thinks it “wouldn’t be a shock” if #Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy starts as QB3 to start the season
“McCown saw that and O’Connell saw that in multiple places in his career. So I think, yeah, I think all these things are pointing to, it… pic.twitter.com/RQjo0rjVgB
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) June 2, 2024
Per the report, Kevin O’Connell and QB coach Josh McCown have seen that happen in other places, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if they took that same approach, leaving veteran Nick Mullens as Darnold’s backup.
Of course, that doesn’t mean McCarthy will stay in that spot for the entire season, and there’s still a chance he could get a chance to start at some point.
It’s not so common nowadays, but teams used to be more patient with their rookie quarterbacks, and sometimes, that approach proves to be better in the long run.
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