Sam Darnold Listed as Minnesota Vikings Starter

The Minnesota Vikings will play their first preseason game this weekend vs the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s one of the most anticipated preseason games in recent memory, given the turnover at quarterback.

Kirk Cousins is gone, Sam Darnold and rookie 1st round pick, JJ McCarthy are here. There has been some discussions about whether or not McCarthy can surpass Darnold, on the Minnesota Vikings’ depth chart, before week one of the regular season.

Sam Darnold “unofficially” listed as Minnesota Vikings starting QB

We have to wait before we see how that plays out, but on Tuesday, the Vikings released their first “unofficial” depth chart of the preseason. Sam Darnold is listed as the starting quarterback. Below him, you see JJ McCarthy OR Nick Mullens, followed by Josh Dobbs.

• Starter: Sam Darnold
• Backups: J.J. McCarthy OR Nick Mullens; Jaren Hall

We see a lot of “OR”s on the Minnesota Gophers football game-week depth charts. They essentially mean that those two players are considered equals. In other words, JJ McCarthy and Nick Mullens are both listed as the Vikings’ QB2.

Related: Vikings Insider Projects Undrafted Rookie as Surefire 53-Man Roster Candidate

None of this is a surprise, especially prior to any preseason games being played. But that will end on Saturday, when we get to see JJ McCarthy and a bunch of other Minnesota Vikings backups suit up and hit another team’s football players again.

More must-reads:

• Vikings Insider Projects Undrafted Rookie as Surefire 53-Man Roster Candidate
• Left Guard No Longer a Weakness for Vikings?
• QB1 is Still Sam Darnold’s Job to Lose