The Minnesota Vikings haven't had to release an official depth chart this offseason but that didn't stop Kevin O'Connell. He told the media on Wednesday that Sam Darnold was the top quarterback on the roster at this time.
This shouldn't be any sort of surprise for the Vikings. Darnold had been getting the lion share of first-team snaps. They have been taking J.J. McCarthy's development very slow and trying to do it the right way. By doing so, Darnold has been leading the team through practice and has shown up in a big way.
During phase three of OTAs, SKOR North's Judd Zulgad spoke about how it was evident that Darnold was QB1.
"For anyone who thought you know, there's a fighting chance that Sam Darnold might lose the job to JJ McCarthy. I'm going to tell you right now, I don't expect that. Darnold throughout the offseason in the camp so far, the OTAs, he has been the number one quarterback Nick Mullens is behind him and then McCarthy and Jaren Hall are working with the backups. This is Darnold's job. And Darnold's look pretty good. He's got some nice touch on the football. I think it might be security to see what he has. I think the Vikings also are very being very cautious not to rush change in McCarthy and that is on display every time we come out here for an open practice, at least during the offseason. "
This shouldn't be a surprise, as the Vikings are doing everything they can to be smart with McCarthy's development. Things are always subject to change, but this was always the plan.
Make sure to check out our home page every day for the best and latest Minnesota Vikings news and analysis.