J.J. McCarthy hasn't fully healed from the high ankle sprain that has kept him out of the past three games, still navigating the final stage of stress-testing the injury and ramping back up to speed with the Minnesota Vikings and their offense.
The question of whether McCarthy returns as the starting quarterback Sunday against Philadelphia or Carson Wentz remains at the helm went formally unanswered Wednesday by coach Kevin O’Connell, but the message this week about how much McCarthy has to work on mechanically has spoken rather loudly about the team's preference to carefully ease him in.
McCarthy, for his part, said in his first interview with reporters since his right ankle rolled underneath him at the end of a scramble while being tackled at the sideline in the second game of the season that he's not back to 100% yet.
He's still within the initial timetable for return, anywhere between two and six weeks, that he was given after the injury.
“It’s unfortunate and one of those really annoying injuries,” McCarthy said, “but I'm just continuing to work to get to 100% as fast as possible.”
The injury, however, might be worse than initially thought. ESPN is reporting McCarthy received second-opinions and that his timetable to return could be up to six weeks.
"Me selfishly, I'm gonna play if it was, you know, off or not, but we gotta be smart here and understand, there's a lot of things that go into place," McCarthy said. "And you know, at the end of the day I'm just gonna do what I'm told and try to get better as fast as possible."
O'Connell, who spent the better part of the bye week working with his protege on basic passing mechanics that the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft simply hasn't been afforded enough time to hone because of his injuries, said both McCarthy and Wentz would take turns with the first-team offense in practice.
“I think the biggest thing is just getting him back in uniform on grass, getting real live reps of pass rush and taking drops and applying some of the things that he’s worked really hard on,” O'Connell said. “I’m having a blast coaching him.”
If that sounds a bit like an offseason update, it's because McCarthy has practiced and played so little over the past year and a half since he was drafted that O'Connell, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and the rest of the staff are still in that teaching mode in a lot of ways.
“Everyone in this position and at other positions and in other professions, they’re always working on perfecting that part of their craft, the fundamentals, the basics,” McCarthy said. “So it was just awesome to get back on the field and spin it but get that wisdom and advice from those guys.”
The Vikings at every turn have insisted they're not using the injury as a reason to give McCarthy more time to watch and learn from O'Connell, McCown and Wentz. Though they'll need to assess sooner than later if McCarthy is truly the franchise quarterback they want to commit to beyond the cap-friendly rookie contract, there's no point in evaluating his performance if he can't properly push off his right foot.
“This is a unique, real injury where sometimes the hardest part is that trust level of getting that final stage of game-like movements and feelings,” O'Connell said.
Wentz, who's on his sixth team in six seasons and in his 10th year in the league, shrugged off the notion of any awkwardness or uncertainty for him while McCarthy is in the in-between stage of being injured and being the starter.
“That’s the beauty of it, having done both roles in my career so far,” Wentz said. “I have what works for me and what gets me ready to play, and that’s what I’ll be doing.”
Other injury updates
Outside of who is playing quarterback, no other topic has been top-of-mind for the Vikings this season than injuries.
In the first injury report of the week, the Vikings had mostly positive news. Wentz was a full participant, pointing to the fact he's Sunday's likely starter at QB.
On the other side of the ball, linebacker Blake Cashman was full-go as well which should help the defense considerably. Cashman, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Bears in week one, gives the team a lot of flexibility. He's also the main communicator on defense as the player defensive coordinator Brian Flores relays the calls to.
"I feel great," Cashman said this week. "Through the past four weeks, I've had to be patient, get the leg right, but when you get to be able to be back on the grass with your brothers, you start feeling like yourself again."
The Vikings will need Cashman to slow down Philadelphia's run game and Saquon Barkley. Minnesota has struggled against the run so far this year, giving up 140 yards on the ground in their last game against Cleveland, nowhere near the running team the Eagles have been.
Guard Michael Jurgens was also a full participant in practice which will help the offensive line depth. But still limited is rookie first round pick Donovan Jackson who had surgery on his wrist. The early thought was he'd be back after the bye week after sitting out the Pittsburgh and Cleveland games overseas but the Vikings won't rush him back. Right tackle Brian O'Neill was also limited with a knee injury and he's probably less likely to play Sunday.
Another defensive stalwart, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkle, is dealing with a neck injury. O'Connell said there's been progress but it sounds like they're also needing to be careful with Van Ginkle.
"He's doing better," O'Connell said. "He's going to be working on a side field early this week. What I see is his workload picking up as we go. I don't really have an update on his availability for Sunday yet but he'll be a key guy to get back in."