The Minnesota Vikings are set to open their preseason schedule on Saturday at home against the Houston Texans. With that in mind, fans have been wondering whether or not they’ll get a first look at J.J. McCarthy in game action this season.
Now, those fans have their answer.
Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings’ head coach, has announced that McCarthy will indeed play on Saturday. However, he did not reveal how much the first-year starter will play.
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While meeting with the press on Monday, O’Connell opened up some about his plan for McCarthy. He didn’t reveal much, but the fact that he’ll be playing in the preseason opener was one of the things he shared.
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“We’ve got that plan in place. I have not talked to him about it. We’re so day-to-day right now. So, I’ll update him on that plan first and then let you guys know. But yeah, I do plan on playing J.J. Saturday,” O’Connell said.
He continued on, sharing more of his thoughts about McCarthy.
“I think you’d love to play him as much as possible. But I think with those two days of joint practice, the type of repetition that the other guys on the offense will get from a physicality and workload standpoint, we’ll more than likely use those two days as our ‘real days.’ Obviously, subject to change based upon how those practices go, how we feel coming out of those. If we need to get a little more work, we will. And then, we’ll assess that final preseason game when it comes.”
Minnesota made the big decision to move forward with McCarthy as its quarterback this offseason. Passing on Aaron Rodgers, who seemed to want to play for the Vikings, was a clear sign of how much they believe in the young signal caller.
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Last season, McCarthy played in the preseason opener. Unfortunately, he went down with a knee injury that ended his season after that game.
Despite not having much experience, McCarthy will have an elite offense around him. Minnesota has weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson in place, with Aaron Jones being a great supporting running back.
That being said, McCarthy will be on the field this Saturday against the Texans. It will be interesting to see what kind of playing time he receives and what he’s able to do with it.
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