Postion: QB

[purplefaithful]

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday, "It's going to be a very competitive camp at multiple positions." We're taking a look at each of those camp competitions as training camp gets underway Wednesday. 

First up: Quarterbacks.

For as frequently as Kirk Cousins' future in Minnesota seemed at an inflection point over the past six seasons, the Vikings enjoyed remarkable stability with him at quarterback. Cousins started 91 of the team's 102 regular season and postseason games from 2018-23, pushing himself to second or third on many of the franchise's career passing statistics with a consistency few Vikings QBs have matched.

It wasn't enough, though, for the Vikings to make a long-term commitment to him or meet his demands in a series of contract negotiations over the past three offseasons. And with Cousins now in Atlanta, the Vikings have moved on to their next chapter at quarterback.

Sam Darnold begins training camp as the No. 1 quarterback, but there'll be plenty of attention on first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who became the highest-drafted QB in Vikings history when the team selected him 10th overall in April. 

McCarthy's development will be the biggest story of training camp, and even as Darnold gets the first chance to start, the success of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell's tenure could hinge on what McCarthy becomes.

Here is a look at the quarterback competition as the Vikings begin training camp:

Last season
Cousins was near the top of the NFL in nearly every passing category when he tore his right Achilles tendon at Lambeau Field on Oct. 29, and the Vikings used three starting quarterbacks in their final nine games, going 3-6 without him. Two of those three starters — Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall — remain on the roster, but Hall looked raw enough and Mullens turned the ball over frequently enough that neither entered the 2024 season with a clear path to the starting job.

Offseason moves
In: Sam Darnold (signed as free agent), J.J. McCarthy (first-round pick)

Out: Kirk Cousins (signed with Atlanta)

The contenders
Though the Vikings will have competition at quarterback, it'd seem a stretch to say all their passers begin camp with an equal chance to start. 

O'Connell said in June that Darnold would head into training camp as his No. 1 QB, based on the work he'd done with the Vikings in the spring, and the team seems intent enough on a deliberate path for McCarthy that it'd be a surprise to see the 21-year-old come out of training camp as the starter. 

The biggest question might be how the Vikings rank their quarterbacks behind Darnold; Mullens could be the No. 2 option if the Vikings want to keep McCarthy on a slower timeline. 

Hall, who played three games as a rookie, will need to show he can play faster than he did last year to factor into the competition.

One big question

What will McCarthy's trajectory look like? O'Connell said Monday he doesn't want to put a "preset ceiling or floor" on McCarthy, adding the Vikings have set up their quarterback room with the rookie's development in mind. 

That could mean Mullens starts as the No. 2 quarterback to give McCarthy time to master things like the footwork changes the Vikings have coached him to make, and the precision he'll need on passes through layers of zone coverage. 

He'll get plenty of time with O'Connell, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and assistant QB coach Grant Udinski, as the Vikings try to help him become the franchise QB they need. 

It'll likely be the command he shows of their offense, and the mastery he displays of the quarterbacking details they value, that dictate when he starts more than how he compares to Darnold or Mullens at the end of this camp.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vi...600384337/

[Zanary]

I'm getting almost annoyed with how little is said about Darnold in these articles.

Third overall pick, taken by one bad team, went to another, then was backup on one of last year's Superbowl teams...and has a chance for retribution with weapons he's never possessed before. This should be a pretty good story, all on its own.

Yes, the JJM story is going to always be lurking until he gets "the keys", but I feel like it's doing a helluva disservice to our presumptive starting QB for even the local press to basically have him as an afterthought. He reportedly only threw one INT in all the Spring OTAs/minicamp activity, and that was due to a route miscommunication.

[Montana Tom]

I'm getting almost annoyed with how little is said about Darnold in these articles.

Third overall pick, taken by one bad team, went to another, then was backup on one of last year's Superbowl teams...and has a chance for retribution with weapons he's never possessed before. This should be a pretty good story, all on its own.

Yes, the JJM story is going to always be lurking until he gets "the keys", but I feel like it's doing a helluva disservice to our presumptive starting QB for even the local press to basically have him as an afterthought. He reportedly only threw one INT in all the Spring OTAs/minicamp activity, and that was due to a route miscommunication.

I actually read a lot about Darnold.  Frankly, the jury is out.  It's totally up to him to prove that in the right circumstances, the right coach, the right offensive system, and surrounded by some seriously good playmakers, that he can be a winner.  I think to annoint him as the second coming of Joe Montana (had to throw a Montana reference in there), is premature.  I think we have to sit on our hands and watch and see.  

By the second game in the season (vs 49ers), there will be a crescendo of screams for JJM (cuz we sucked against the Gmen), or how brilliant Kwesi and KOC were in bringing in Darnold.  No middle ground here.

It's up to him.  Don't tell me that he's not fully aware and vested in this scenario.

[FLVike]

Here's the thing, in my opinion the QB position is better than last season and here's why;
Our QB went down and basically we were finished. This season we have actually 3 back-ups that played last season and gained experience.
Also, JJ McCarthy is showing promise and could be special.

[purplefaithful]

The expectation is that Darnold will take most of the reps with the first team.

The quarterback competition will begin as soon as the Vikings hit the practice field on Wednesday afternoon at TCO Performance Center.

It features veteran quarterback Sam Darnold, the leader in the clubhouse to be named the starter who is looking to revitalize his career, going up against rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the future face of the franchise at the position who still has a ton of room to grow.

Asked how he plans to handle the situation moving forward, coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed that Darnold will take most of the reps with the first team in the early stages, while notably leaving the door open for McCarthy to garner some reps with first team, as well.

“We’ve got individualized plans for all of our guys,” O’Connell said. “We get a whole lot of time on the grass to really work through exactly where each individual guy is at.”

That’s why the Vikings have no interest in discussing the depth chart at the moment. They have more than a month to make their final decision, and thus, whoever is named the starter for the Sept. 8 opener against the New York Giants will be determined by watching how training camp unfolds.

In that span, there will be countless hours at TCO Performance Center, a couple of joint practices against the Cleveland Browns on the road, and a few preseason games for good measure. In other words, Darnold and McCarthy will get ample time to prove themselves, and the Vikings will get ample time to assess their options.

As the Vikings work through everything with Darnold and McCarthy in the coming weeks, it helps that veteran quarterback Nick Mullens already has a bunch of experience in the system. Even if he has to play in a pinch at some point, Mullens will be ready because of his institutional knowledge of the offense.

There seems to be a genuine excitement within the Vikings about Darnold and where he could take his career. He hasn’t had a very good support system in the past, playing for the struggling New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before finally finding some stability with the San Francisco 49ers.

As for McCarthy, O’Connell noted that the Vikings won’t rush any part of the process, regardless of how loud the outside noise gets along the way with those clamoring for the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“Our decision to bring J.J. here was all out of the belief that we feel that we can put together a plan that helps him become the best player and best quarterback that hopefully he can become,” O’Connell said. “I will not allow any factors outside of what’s best for J.J. and what’s best to help the Vikings win.”

https://www.twincities.com/2024/07/23/sa...ning-camp/