EAGAN, Minn. — A day after starter J.J. McCarthy’s triumphant return to the field, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said he is “pretty comfortable” with his team’s quarterback depth as the NFL trade deadline approaches.
McCarthy accounted for three touchdowns in the Vikings’ 27-24 victory Sunday over the Detroit Lions after missing the previous five games because of a high right ankle sprain. His return coincided with backup Carson Wentz’s season-ending left shoulder injury. The Vikings placed Wentz on injured reserve last week, leaving undrafted rookie Max Brosmer as McCarthy’s primary backup.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Veteran quarterback John Wolford has since signed to their practice squad, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that league sources believed they might seek a more prominent veteran to pair alongside McCarthy via trade. Former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, now a backup with the Atlanta Falcons, could be available. The New York Giants, meanwhile, might be open to trading one of their veteran backups, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
Monday, however, O’Connell talked extensively about Wolford — whom he coached when both were with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020-21 — and said he would like to add him to the 53-man roster at some point soon.
“I think with bringing John in,” O’Connell said, “it was something where we wanted to make sure we had a third guy in the room, a guy I know very well. He immediately picked up where I remember being with John — super smart, has a pretty high level of quickness and athleticism, quick twitch for a release and kind of a tight window thrower kind of guy that can activate a lot of different throw types. And he’s got experience understanding how our pass offense works and how we want to operate. So as he said, he’s the old man in the room now and I think that’s important for two young guys.”
Meanwhile, O’Connell said the early news is positive on running back Aaron Jones, a big contributor to McCarthy’s success Sunday who departed in the third quarter with a right shoulder injury. The Vikings have some hope that Jones can be available for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“We’ll see how he does throughout the week,” O’Connell said, “but expecting him to be able to kind of hopefully ramp up his workload [in practice].”
In other injury news, Vikings safety Theo Jackson was placed in the concussion protocol Monday after reporting what O’Connell called “very mild symptoms.” Tight end Josh Oliver (foot) has made some progress but it’s not clear if he will practice this week. Center Ryan Kelly, who has missed four games while on injured reserve after suffering two concussions earlier this season, will begin an attempt to return by working out with medical staff on a side field at practice this week. His 21-day window to resume practicing has not yet been opened.
