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Sam Darnold was very likely to start Week 1 for the Minnesota Vikings no matter what happened this month. The team seemed set on having first-round pick J.J. McCarthy sit and learn.
But we all know how that often goes. If the rookie plays well in preseason — McCarthy looked very sharp in his NFL preseason debut last week — then the drumbeat to make the change will go on through every mistake the veteran makes. It was going to happen to Darnold unless he played at a very high level.
There’s no real upside to McCarthy’s knee surgery, but it probably does mean that Darnold doesn’t need to look over his shoulder. The Vikings said McCarthy will undergo a meniscus procedure. His timetable to return will be known after that surgery. There’s a chance he could miss all or most of his rookie season.
This is Darnold’s chance to establish himself as an NFL starting quarterback. If he doesn’t take advantage, he might not get another opportunity. At least not another one this good.
J.J. McCarthy will miss some time
O’Connell said McCarthy will have surgery for a torn meniscus, which he suffered during Saturday’s preseason game. He finished despite the injury, which O’Connell commended.
When the Vikings examined McCarthy further on Monday, they determined it was a meniscus injury. If McCarthy needs the meniscus trimmed, he will miss multiple weeks. If he needs the meniscus repaired, it could cost him many months, via NFL.com, and therefore he’d be in danger of missing the entire season. Given how careful the Vikings have been with McCarthy at every step, assume the longest expected recovery time for their quarterback.
“Hopefully we’ll have a shorter timeline than a longer timeline, but the most important thing right now is making sure from a medical standpoint that we have identified the injury and the potential severity will come when we do that procedure,” O’Connell said.
“What’s best for the long-term health of J.J. McCarthy will be the priority.”
No matter the final timetable,…
Source link : https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/with-jj-mccarthy-out-for-a-while-this-is-sam-darnolds-final-shot-to-shine-with-vikings-183016893.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-08-13 18:30:16
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