Former Vikings player shares alarming J.J. McCarthy take amid Carson Wentz whispers

While Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell named free-agent signing Kyler Murray the team's Week 1 starting quarterback, O’Connell clearly wants 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy to win the QB2 job over veteran Carson Wentz this summer. 

As Eva Geitheim of Sports Illustrated noted, however, McCarthy missed a wide-open Myles Price and went 5-of-10 passing for 81 yards in Minnesota's preseason loss to the Baltimore Ravens this past Saturday. During an appearance on the "Sound The Horn" program, former Vikings linebacker and current analyst Ben Leber shared a concerning breakdown of McCarthy's performance against the Ravens.

J.J. McCarthy playing with "panic" after losing starting job to Kyler Murray?

"I don’t want to use this word," Leber said, per Eduardo Razo of Heavy. "It sounds very harsh. But that’s the way it feels when McCarthy’s on the field, especially when he’s sensing a blitz or some pressure. It feels like, through body language and mechanics, there’s panic going on. There’s a manic nature to the way that he processes what he’s feeling around him. I think sometimes he’s very unsettled when he’s throwing the football."

Following the Vikings' 13-10 win at the New York Giants on Aug. 15, whispers surfaced suggesting that Wentz and not McCarthy could begin the regular season as Minnesota's primary backup. Wentz then completed 9-of-11 pass attempts for 92 yards with two sacks taken against Baltimore. 

Leber seems to be among those who think Wentz would give the Vikings a better chance to win a game in the event that Murray became unavailable.

Vikings' offense has "more smoothness" with Carson Wentz than with J.J. McCarthy?

"You contrast that with Carson Wentz, who’s much more experienced," Leber continued. "There’s a smoothness to the way that he sees some of that stuff. He notices that there’s a blitz, but you don’t see that manic, panicked behavior from him, and the ball comes out a little bit smoother, comes out with a little bit more touch. We see him in the moments using a toolbox of the types of throws that he’s able to make. He threw a 50-50 ball down the middle of the field as well, where he intentionally puts a lot of loft on the ball. Then, a couple plays later, he senses some pressure, and he’s got to dump it off into the right flat. He sort of sidearms it and uses that tool in his toolbox to get the ball out, making sure that he doesn’t get a hand on the ball as well. So, in the mode of operation, there just seems to be a lot more smoothness with Carson Wentz."

The Vikings will finish the preseason with a matchup at the Denver Broncos this coming Friday. One can't help but wonder if Wentz could win the Week 1 QB2 job by the time that game wraps up.