The return of J.J. McCarthy will have to wait a little bit longer.
Although head coach Kevin O’Connell said McCarthy went through a workout on Tuesday morning at TCO Performance Center, he still isn’t where he needs to be as he works his way back from a high ankle sprain.
“We’re all encouraged about where he’s at,” O’Connell said. “He’s just not there.”
As a result, Carson Wentz will start at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium, Max Brosmer will be the backup, and McCarthy will be available under emergency circumstances.
The fact that Wentz is set to be available speaks to his toughness, as the veteran is still dealing with lingering pain in his left shoulder.
“I’ve been really encouraged by how fast he turned over,” O’Connell said. “He really didn’t have any setbacks or anything other than the normal soreness.”
The Vikings won’t practice at full speed at all this week as a way to maximize recovery across the roster, which explains why they had to put McCarthy through a separate workout to gauge his progress.
“Just wanted to know if he could possibly be at a good place,” O’Connell said. “The communication has been really good between J.J. and the medical staff and myself, and (I) wanted to make sure everybody had clarity.”
The next step for McCarthy is essentially proving he can protect himself in the pocket. If somebody on the offensive line gets beat, for example, O’Connell wants to know McCarthy has to ability to exhibit reactionary movements without feeling pain in the ankle.
“He has got to work through some of that late in the rehab stages,” the coach said. “It’s about his effectiveness and his ability to go out and do his job for 60 minutes without having any setbacks or making his job more difficult than it has to be.”
Notably, O’Connell said if the Vikings had a normal schedule this week, McCarthy might have been able to get himself ready to go. That suggests it’s only a matter of time before he’s back to being a full participant in practice.
“We’re very much looking forward to continuing his progression,” O’Connell said. “Hopefully he’ll have a chance to go next week.”
The uncertainly at quarterback has been an overarching theme for the Vikings this season, and it has made it hard to figure out what the offense is going to look like on a weekly basis.
“You can’t really get mad at the situation,” receiver Justin Jefferson said. “You’ve just got to work with what we’ve got and make the most of it.”
That’s exactly what Wentz has done while filling in. How is he handling everything knowing he might have to give the job up at some point?
“My mindset is to go win this game,” Wentz said. “I’m focused on the here and now. I don’t have a lot of time or energy to think about anything beyond this game, quite frankly. I’ll let the future take care of itself.”
Aaron Jones had his practice window opened up Tuesday afternoon, and there’s a chance the 30-year-old running back could be available against the Chargers. He has been on injured reserve with a strained hamstring for the past month and a half.
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