The Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is due to miss his team’s practice after reporting right knee soreness to the team’s medical staff, head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed. According to O’Connell, the injury is a routine soreness that many players experience after their first preseason game, especially as they ease back into football.
Just two days prior, McCarthy participated in the Vikings’ 24-23 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. After reaching his scheduled play of 30 snaps, the head coach decided to withdraw McCarthy from the game. He expressed no signs of injury or discomfort during his performance.
“Out of precaution, we’re going to continue an evaluation on him and get some more testing done. [He is a] very important player, obviously, so we want to make sure we’re smart before he participates, making sure we have a good understanding of where he’s at,” O’Connell explained.
The Vikings are unsure of whether McCarthy will travel with the team to Cleveland this week, where the team will participate in joint practice sessions with the Browns before participating in their subsequent preseason game. Although Sam Darnold remains the Vikings’ first-choice quarterback, rookie McCarthy was scheduled to receive increased practice snaps this week, O’Connell revealed.
