Can Sam Darnold be the next Geno Smith? Kevin O'Connell heaps praise on Vikings quarterback

It's been a rough week for the Minnesota Vikings. After an incredible debut from rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy , the team announced that he was missing night practice on Monday with "routine knee soreness." That evolved to having surgery to repair a meniscus to being out for the season. In just 48 hours, the fanbase went from extremely excited to beyond disappointed.

With that, all eyes are turned to head coach Kevin O'Connell and quarterback Sam Darnold . Considering the history that Darnold has in his first six seasons, there isn't a lot to be excited about.

Sam Darnold can be the next Geno Smith

Darnold is a very talented quarterback. That's why he was selected third overall by the New York Jets in 2018. One of the biggest reasons why Darnold hasn't been successful is due to his surroundings. Adam Gase was a major factor in the early development of Darnold and, along with a poor supporting cast, things went predictably poorly.

Darnold was soon traded to the Carolina Panthers where then head coach Matt Rhule believed he could be a franchise guy with new surroundings. He wasn't able to make the jump with the Panthers. After one season with Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers, the Vikings believe that Darnold can not just be the bridge to McCarthy, but a quality player who can lead this team.

Now that McCarthy is not in the picture, Darnold can feel more comfortable in his position as the starting quarterback. The last two days of practice gave Darnold a lot, especially considering he is still growing within the system.

"Yeah, I think, you know, playing against a different defense, we saw totally different coverage structures. It's not like we can really go in the meeting room and put a game plan together for these defenses, that's why a lot of times defenses tend to have some success over the course of the two days, just it's kind of how it normally works. It's the old adage, the defense and training camp normally looks pretty darn good early, and then you get a chance to kind of hold the marker and draw some stuff up. I thought today, red zone, it was once again totally different structures and our guys just executed and sound plays. It kind of started that way in red zone seven on. There was enough physicality in the run game to turn out some yards and keep us manageable in the team periods and then we threw the ball in the end zone a couple times so really positive and would have loved to go two for two on those down eight situations but only got one of the two and defense went two for two so net three for four we'll take it."

Being able to have Darnold grow over those two days, especially without players like Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson in the fold, is invaluable for this team. There is a realistic chance that Darnold takes the step forward that the Vikings need to be successful. He spoke after practice on Thursday about the importance of the relationship with head coach Kevin O'Connell and how these practices are beneficial

"Yeah, I think you know, just being able to, you know, when coach O'Connell calls a play, being able to know exactly kind of what he's thinking with that play, and if we get a certain coverage where he wants me to go with the football or and all that. So it's a, it's kind of that it's, it's understanding the play caller's intent when he calls a play and going and making that play come to life, I guess."

This is where the Geno Smith comparison comes into play. Despite having poor surroundings at the start of his career, Smith got his chance in 2022 and became the franchise quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. That is exactly what the Vikings are hoping to get from Darnold and the success we've seen from him in training camp could make that happen. Just like what Smith experienced working with the likes of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, Darnold will have even better surroundings with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.

Now, Darnold likely doesn't sign here long-term, but he could be the guy if he plays well enough.

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