Despite a miraculous fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears, the other seven quarters of play have not been great for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The former Michigan Wolverine looked rough against the Atlanta Falcons last weekend, turning the ball over three times, and came out of the game with a sprained ankle.
The injury is supposed to sideline McCarthy up to four weeks, and veteran Carson Wentz will start in his place. But what does the extended absence mean for the first-year starters' development?
McCarthy's Injury History Impacting His Development
The former 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is projected to miss 21 of his first 23 games in the NFL, and that isn't a recipe for success when you look around the rest of the league.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert noted snap totals from college to the pros when discussing McCarthy's extended absence.
"He threw 713 passes in his career at Michigan, roughly half the average of the other five quarterbacks selected in first round of the 2024 draft, and there are multiple recent examples of quarterbacks who entered the league with limited college experience and were not able to stay on the field long enough to develop beyond it," wrote Seifert.
"Trey Lance is the most notable example, having thrown 318 passes at North Dakota State before the San Francisco 49ers made him the No. 3 pick in 2021. Lance has been on three teams and started five games in the NFL. A similar fate might befall Anthony Richardson Sr., who had thrown 393 passes at Florida when the Indianapolis Colts selected him at No. 4 in 2023. He is currently backing up Daniel Jones."
If McCarthy wants to see success at the NFL level, he must stay healthy and protect himself. Staying on the field should be his No. 1 priority, because frankly, he needs the reps.