Reporter expands on why J.J. McCarthy trails Sam Darnold in Vikings QB competition

Shortly after it was learned that the Minnesota Vikings listed veteran Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback over J.J. McCarthy on their first unofficial depth chart of the summer, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer explained that the rookie needed to improve his "fundamentals and footwork in accordance with [the Vikings'] scheme."

ESPN's Kevin Seifert suggested that Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is in no hurry to play McCarthy against live defenses in meaningful games.

"The external rush to get McCarthy into the starting role has simply not been felt on the ground in Minnesota," Seifert said. "Players and coaches have straddled an organic line of excitement about McCarthy's future with acknowledgment that Darnold is the more polished passer at the moment."

While the Vikings moved up a spot in the 2024 NFL Draft to grab McCarthy via the 10th overall selection, analysts and reporters have repeatedly named Darnold the favorite to win the starting job since the spring. In June, Alec Lewis of The Athletic noted that there was "a scenario in which [McCarthy] shouldn’t be expected to start at all this year."

Of course, the situation could change if Darnold struggles in Minnesota's first five regular-season games before its Week 6 bye. Following that break, the Vikings will host the Detroit Lions on Oct. 20.

Some Minnesota fans understandably have that Week 7 matchup against Detroit circled on their calendars. Seifert hinted that McCarthy has a ways to go before he'll be ready to face such a challenge.

"He's moving in the right direction," Seifert added about McCarthy.

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list Darnold as the heavy betting favorite at -900 odds to start Minnesota's Week 1 game at the New York Giants on Sept. 8 over McCarthy (+600). Seifert mentioned that McCarthy "is scheduled to get extensive playing time in Saturday's opening preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders." Still, fans shouldn't expect O'Connell and Co. to alter their approach regarding the 21-year-old's overall development if he lights up the scoreboard while playing against backups and guys who may not make the Raiders' final roster.

For what it's worth, Sports Illustrated's Nick Selbe walked away from a training camp visit with the Vikings convinced that O'Connell "is going to be very disciplined about" playing McCarthy this season.

"This won’t be one of those situations where the team has a couple tough weeks, and they put [McCarthy] out there to try and create a spark," Selbe said.