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Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell
The Minnesota Vikings remain cryptic about their quarterback situation coming out of the bye week.
Facing a quarterback dilemma between starting Carson Wentz or handing back the job to J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings have not shown their hand just four days before a Week 7 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Entering this week of practice, the Vikings have made Wentz and McCarthy available to the media in a move that has many tentacles to it.
McCarthy is coming back from a high ankle sprain. For head coach Kevin O’Connell to be confident in starting McCarthy again, the young quarterback must put forth a solid week of practice.
Meanwhile, Wentz is also dealing with a “painful” shoulder injury that he suffered in a Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns.
As neither quarterback is 100% healthy heading into the practice schedule this week, there is some concern that even the Vikings do not know who their starter will be.
However, the move could be merely some gamesmanship the Vikings are playing with the Eagles by remaining coy about who their starter may be.
Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips surely added to the uncertainty by offering some high praise for undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer, who could be in line to start as the only healthy quarterback in Minnesota.
Vikings Hint QB Max Brosmer Starting Could Be in Play for Week 7 vs. Eagles
GettyMax Brosmer #12 of the Minnesota Vikings walks off the field after facing the Houston Texans.
Entering Week 7, Phillips expressed confidence in Brosmer if he was needed to start.
“Nobody is going to question Max’s preparation going into any football game. No matter if he’s supposed to be the emergency 3, or the 2, or if he was going in as a starter,” Phillips said, per The Athletic’s Alec Lewis. “We all feel great about, intangibly, everything Max brings.”
Phillips’ comments don’t seem to be just hot air. The Vikings released veteran Desmond Ridder last week before the Browns game, which left Brosmer as the only available quarterback to play if Wentz went down. Brosmer stepped in for one snap when Wentz suffered the shoulder injury before he returned for the rest of the game.
Vikings Must Weigh Present and Future Between Carson Wentz, JJ McCarthy
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 and Carson Wentz #11 of the Minnesota Vikings look on before a game against the Chicago Bears.
After McCarthy was ruled out with his injury in Week 3, Wentz took over a 1-1 team that hadn’t played its best football for a full game yet this season. He has righted the team to a 2-1 record since then and has the offense running more efficiently than it had with McCarthy.
However, the plan this season was to learn who McCarthy is as a starting NFL quarterback — and deferring that plan after just two games for Wentz would be fool’s gold.
Wentz is not playing at a Sam Darnold-level and is merely keeping the offense at cruising altitude. McCarthy — without Christian Darrisaw and Jordan Addison in the first two weeks — may have struggled to get the offense in the air, but he arguably offers new heights as a young quarterback with untapped potential.
His full potential is still years away, but the Vikings built a roster that they felt McCarthy could steer to a playoff bid in his first year as a starter.
However, there needs to be patience through the turbulence first.
Trevor Squire is a sports journalist covering the NFL and NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks. Trevor studied journalism at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, making stops at the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @trevordsquire. More about Trevor Squire
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