Vikings welcome McCarthy back to practice but won’t commit yet to starting QB this week vs. Eagles

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Vikings returned from their bye week, not yet ready to rule J.J. McCarthy in or out at quarterback after missing the past three games with a sprained ankle.

McCarthy was back at practice with the Vikings for their light workout on Monday afternoon, after spending much of the week off working with coaches on some of the finer points of the position where progress has been hindered by injury. Coach Kevin O’Connell said he was “very fortunate” to have that time on the field with his protege.

He also said his decision on whether McCarthy will play on Sunday against Philadelphia or Carson Wentz makes a fourth straight start won’t come until later in the week, indicating no rush to make a simultaneous public announcement.

“Those two things can be on different timelines,” O’Connell said.

Wentz played through a sore non-throwing shoulder to lead the Vikings to a critical victory over Cleveland after taking a hard hit during that game in London on Oct. 5, but O’Connell didn’t raise any alarm about his availability for facing the Eagles, the team that drafted him second overall in 2016, after a full week of rest. What the coach did sound concerned about was providing McCarthy enough time to get back up to speed, considering he missed a month’s worth of full-team practice time, coming off a rookie year that was spent rehabilitating from knee surgery.

“You can talk about routes and certain throws and certain plays and things like that, but it’s the foundation of throwing mechanics from the ground up that he’s really taken to since he’s gotten here,” O’Connell said. “I’m very excited to get him back officially practicing. I don’t necessarily want to put a percentage on where he’s at health-wise. I think this week will be massive for our whole team.”

Specifically for McCarthy, O’Connell has said repeatedly since the injury that he’s stressing the importance of polishing his lower-body passing mechanics, ensuring his eyes and feet are properly in sync for each throw. His performance over the first two games left plenty to work on, including patience with the in-game plan.

“One of the things that he’s taken away from watching Carson play was just the power of completions that maybe don’t necessarily always go to the first or second progression,” O’Connell said.

The Vikings (3-2) have much more to focus on than whether or not the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft is back under center this week or not. From penalties to fumbles to the smaller problems in between, the entire offense needs to perform better whether behind McCarthy or Wentz.

“We’ve won games with two different guys this year,” O’Connell said. “We’ve found a rhythm at times that, as much as that quarterback plays a huge role in it, we’ve got to make sure our offense plays with.”

The Vikings opened the 21-day window for linebacker Blake Cashman (hamstring) to return from injured reserve, putting him on track to play on Sunday, nearly six weeks out from the injury. He praised the health and performance staff for guiding him on a plan to “bullet-proof” his hamstring to help prevent a recurrence.

“To not be able to reap the benefits or the rewards of playing out there on Sundays, it hurts the soul a little bit, but that’s where you’ve got to understand you’ve got to get healthy and stay resilient and be patient through the process,” Cashman said.

Joining McCarthy and Cashman on the return-to-practice list on Monday were left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist), center Michael Jurgens (hamstring) and right tackle Brian O’Neill (knee). Running back Aaron Jones (hamstring) must miss at least one more game on injured reserve. Center Ryan Kelly (concussion) is out indefinitely. Edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) is progressing with field workouts on the side, but not cleared yet to return.