Vikings' J.J. McCarthy shares concerning admission about lingering ankle injury

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell previously declined to confirm that quarterback J.J. McCarthy would return to the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) after McCarthy missed three consecutive contests due to a lingering ankle issue.

There's now more information regarding why O'Connell is likely preparing to give backup Carson Wentz a fourth-straight start. 

As ESPN's Kevin Seifert shared, McCarthy admitted on Wednesday that he has not yet fully recovered from the "really annoying" high right ankle sprain he suffered in Week 2 of the campaign. 

J.J. McCarthy wants Vikings to be "smart" with his return

"We've got to be smart here," McCarthy added, "and understand there's a lot of things that go into play, and at the end of the day, I'm just going to do what I'm told and try to get better as fast as possible."

On Thursday morning, Chip Scoggins of The Minnesota Star Tribune wrote that the Vikings are "not going to send McCarthy back onto the field until there is 100% confidence that he has no physical limitation," in part because "McCarthy’s mobility is an important part of his skill set." 

Wentz picked up an injury to his non-throwing shoulder during the Vikings' 21-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 5 but was a full participant in Wednesday's practice coming off Minnesota's bye. 

Why Kevin O'Connell likely won't start a hobbled J.J. McCarthy vs. Eagles

Throughout McCarthy's recovery, O'Connell has repeatedly spoken about how the 22-year-old's "lower-body mechanics" must be right for Minnesota to get the most out of the second-year signal-caller. On Wednesday, O’Connell indicated McCarthy isn't yet where he needs to be regarding that aspect of his play.

"He’s an accurate passer," O’Connell added about McCarthy. "What I have learned about him is when he plays with that ideal base, balance and body position, you’re going to see the ball come out with a lot of revolutions and it’s going to go where he wants it to go."

Wentz won two of three starts before Minnesota's bye and seems to be on track to serve as the club's QB1 for the upcoming home game against the reigning Super Bowl champions. As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had the 3-2 Vikings as 1.5-point underdogs for this Sunday's matchup.