Quarterback controversy is the last thing the Vikings want right now. But that’s the kind of where they’re headed. Carson Wentz looked like a solid version of himself last week (14-of-20 for 173 yards, two TDs, zero turnovers), sure. The bigger storyline, though? J.J. McCarthy and his recovery. McCarthy’s rookie season got wiped out by injury,

And now, heading into Week 4, he’s expected to stay sidelined with that high ankle sprain. The NFL legend and analyst Phil Simms, however, isn’t sweating the injury itself. It’s McCarthy’s arm strength that got him worried… Or, more precisely, whether it’s enough to handle NFL-level throws once he’s back on the field.

“I don’t like to start controversies or anything like that. But I would be worried about J.J. McCarthy,” Simms explained in a conversation with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “Yeah, he had the great quarter, the fourth quarter against the Bears. But what really makes me think is just the throwing part of it.

“You know, he’s just not throwing the ball well when he was out there. It’s a lot of work, and it seems like unless he gets to throw it as hard as he can throw it, that’s the only time he somewhat puts it on target, on time, and everything like that.”

Concerns about McCarthy’s arm strength date back to his days at Michigan. For starters, the Michigan Wolverines product played under a run-heavy offensive scheme during his collegiate career. The quarterback threw just 332 passes in 2023, the least among the top QB prospects.

Fast forward to the NFL Scouting Combine, and one of the key issues popped up. McCarthy’s arm strength has been considered good, given that the QB possesses sufficient arm talent. But his scouting report suggests “There is clearly a cap on the velocity at which he throws the ball.” To put it in perspective (per his scouting report):

• He can make the throws, but he can’t always throw the ball as fast as elite QBs when needed.
• His throwing velocity and accuracy depend heavily on his lower-body mechanics. If his feet and hips aren’t properly set, both throwing power and precision suffer.
• He tends to throw all passes at roughly the same speed, whether it’s a short slant or a deep ball.

To make it trickier, his adjusted QBR is the worst in the league among qualified QBs at 20.6 ahead of the Week 4 game against the Steelers, per ESPN. Taken all together, Simms observed that J.J. McCarthy still needs time to develop. “I think they got a lot of work to do if they want to turn him into what they call a franchise quarterback, and he’s gonna need a lot of work, a lot of playing time, practice time,” Simms added.

Long story short: As we put it earlier, quarterback controversy is the last thing the Vikings want. While Wentz is performing well, considering McCarthy’s injury and arm strength issues, as Simms noted, Kevin O’Connell has a lot on his plate.

Kevin O’Connell is a fan of Carson Wentz

Kevin O’Connell knows a thing or two about developing a quarterback and maximizing their potential. He did it with Sam Darnold. And now he’s doing it with Carson Wentz in J.J. McCarthy’s absence. In the Week 3 game against the Bengals, the Vikings scored 48 points and looked efficient on the ground and through the air.

The real twist, though? They did it all with a backup quarterback. Right after that went down, the HC stopped by The Pat McAfee Show and praised Wentz for his strong outing against Cincy. “I’ve always been a fan of Carson Wentz,” O’Connell said. “He has a lot of experience, and he can help our whole team. He can do a lot of things at a really high level at the quarterback position.”

With Wentz under the center in Week 3, Minnesota tallied over 350 yards (including 183 passing yards and 169 rushing yards). Jordan Mason led the rushing attack with 116 rushing yards on 16 carries while also racking up two TDs. Justin Jefferson, meanwhile, complemented the passing game, as he caught 5 receptions for 75 yards.

“Carson Wentz can see the whole field, and I thought he played with great fundamentals on Sunday… He was really comfortable, and I was really happy with the way he played,” the HC added. While Wentz put up a strong outing and deserved praise, no doubt. But we’ll see how O’Connell sorts out quarterback issues.