Kevin O'Connell: 'A lot of work to do' before determining QB depth chart

Throughout the first week of camp, Darnold has taken the majority of first-team reps, while McCarthy has primarily been with the second team.

J.J. McCarthy (9) next to Nick Mullens (12) and Jaren Hall (16) at Vikings offseason practice. / Image courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell remains committed to not rushing his plans for the team's quarterback situation, going so far as to say there still remains "much to be overanalyzed" before he is ready to make a decision.

Speaking ahead of the team's Tuesday practice, O'Connell provided some insight into how he sees the quarterback battle between Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy playing out just over a week into camp.

“I think my assessment is, essentially how I wanted things to go early on," O'Connell said. "I mean, Sam’s really taken a majority of the first-team reps. J.J. has gotten some reps second team vs. first team, where he might not be out there with the first-team offense but he’s certainly seeing some of the things that will allow him to start phasing into getting into the huddle. We’re making it almost harder than it will be when he gets into the first group.

"As far as rep counts and performances so far, I think that both guys have done a lot of really, really good things, and some more notable visually than others. I also think both guys have made mistakes with the football, learning mistakes where they’re trying to see if they can squeeze a ball in over the middle before a safety can step in front, or maybe not taking a chance down the field on a one-on-one, where maybe that’s our best option. How we introduce the pass rush in pads now, how consistent can you be with your footwork as if it is seven-on-seven, as if it is throwing in individual or routes on air. Because that’s the true test. We can drill everything we want to do, we can build a whole plan of attack every single day but it’s got to translate, at least minimally, at first then you start building comfort as it goes. It’s not supposed to be ‘Remember what I said?’"

Throughout the first week of camp, Darnold has taken the majority of first-team reps, while McCarthy has primarily been with the second team. It's a rep-share that O'Connell feels Darnold has "earned" but one that he says "at some point" will change, with McCarthy taking first-team snaps.

O'Connell was quick to note he's not "chasing perfection" but wants to see progress throughout camp. The Vikings head coach pointed to instances of Darnold throwing interceptions that were followed up by completing deep balls, also noting that he's looking for consistency from McCarthy.

As for what needs to happen for McCarthy to take first-team reps, O'Connell wouldn't divulge exactly what he needs to see other than that it will happen when the team gets to the "sweet spot" in installing the offense. O'Connell noted he would eventually put Darnold in other huddles to see if he can "elevate" different sets of receivers other than Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

"Much to be overanalyzed and a lot of work to be done before we get to a place where we're ready to start really determining what that group is going to look like," O'Connell said about his overall look QB situation.

When asked about his plans for getting Darnold and McCarthy snaps in upcoming preseason games, O'Connell left reporters with an incredibly vague, "I have a very clear-cut plan of how we’re going to handle the playing time of our entire team."