When Minnesota Vikings QB JJ McCarthy went down with a season-ending knee injury this preseason, head coach Kevin O’Connell all but ended the team’s quarterback competition. Sam Darnold will start, as was the plan all along. Heck, O’Connell even has confidence in Nick Mullens, the veteran behind Darnold.
“I think guys are pretty confident in Sam Darnold,” O’Connell told reporters. “I do. When Nick Mullens got his opportunities last year, we were very explosive as an offense. His ability to run the show and really highlight a lot of different aspects of our offense with his understanding is something. That’s why Nick’s here. He’s a guy we really respect and respect his prep and his experience.”
Minnesota played quarterback roulette just last season, when Kirk Cousins suffered his own season-ending injury. They don’t want to be in a similar position in just a few weeks, so it’s in their best interest to build up their depth chart with as many confident signal-callers as possible…