J.J McCarthy injury: what it means for the Minnesota Vikings quarterback room

The Minnesota Vikings received unfortunate news on their first-round rookie quarterback. J.J. McCarthy was diagnosed with a torn meniscus on his right knee Tuesday after an MRI confirmed the injury. McCarthy is expected to miss an undisclosed amount of time, as doctors will not know what type of surgery the rookie quarterback will need until they go in to begin the repair.

While the expectation for the Vikings was that veteran Sam Darnold would be the presumed starter in the team's debut against the New York Giants , the tenth-overall pick was making great strides in pushing for the starting job. With an injury setback, a lot has changed for the Vikings' quarterback room.

Even though Darnold was expected to be the starter when he was signed this offseason, he is now cemented as the starter with the injury to McCarthy. Darnold starting was always the plan going into the season while McCarthy was developing, but with McCarthy’s strong training camp, he was gaining ground on the starting job a lot quicker than most expected. With the Michigan alum expected to miss at least several weeks, he will need time when he is cleared to rehab and catch up on his development, leaving Darnold as a presumptive starter.

With the rookie expected to miss time, the injury also likely saves Jaren Hall’s spot on the 53-man roster. Depending on the severity of the injury, the rookie quarterback could start the season on injured reserve, opening up a roster spot for second-year quarterback Jaren Hall to make the initial 53-man roster.

Hall was seen as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart heading into the preseason and was on the outside looking in after a less-than-stellar performance against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday. With McCarthy sidelined, the former BYU quarterback could make his way onto the initial 53-man roster as the third quarterback if McCarthy is placed on IR.

McCarthy’s injury also pushes back his development . As mentioned, he was competing for the starting job, and although it was unlikely he touched the field against the Giants, there was a legitimate chance McCarthy was suiting up as soon as the bye week for the Vikings. Now, with him likely set to miss a minimum of 4-to-6 weeks, McCarthy might not see the field at all this season as he will need time to rehab his knee and catch up on his development plan.

The team's priority will be ensuring McCarthy is fully healthy, and whatever surgery the doctors do will be in the long-term best interest of his health. Still, after a promising start to his offseason, this is a tough break for the organization and its fans.

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