The Minnesota Vikings are wrapping up their 2026 NFL preseason on Friday, Aug. 28, when they travel to Denver to face the Broncos.
Third-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy will not be among those who suit up for the preseason finale, according to multiple reports.
McCarthy is dealing with an ankle injury he suffered during the Vikings' second preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. The 23-year-old sat out of practice on Wednesday because of the malady, and he wasn't comfortable suiting up against the Broncos because of it.
Nonetheless, McCarthy's injury is considered minor and shouldn't impact him ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
J.J. McCarthy preseason stats
McCarthy finishes the preseason having completed 9 of 17 passes (52.9%) for 115 yards across his two games of action. He
failed to log a touchdown and was sacked twice while posting a 74.4 passer rating.
McCarthy had entered training camp competing with veteran Kyler Murray for the Vikings' starting quarterback job. Murray was named Minnesota's starter ahead of the team's first preseason game, so the preseason reps were expected to be important for McCarthy, both in his continued development and in his efforts to try to eventually unseat Murray.
Instead, McCarthy's action raised questions about whether the 2024 first-round pick will even be the team's top backup. Veteran Carson Wentz has performed well during the preseason, which could lead Kevin O'Connell to tap the 33-year-old as the backup to Murray.
Even so, McCarthy is still expected to remain with the Vikings in 2026, as the Michigan product doesn't have much trade value after struggling across his first two NFL seasons.
Vikings QB depth chart
Below is a look at the Vikings' pecking order at quarterback, according to the team's unofficial depth chart:
- Kyler Murray
- J.J. McCarthy
- Carson Wentz
- Max Brosmer
It will be interesting to see whether Wentz can build momentum to overtake McCarthy or if O'Connell will simply want to stick with the 2024 first-round pick as the top option behind Murray to open the season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: J.J. McCarthy injury update with QB set to miss Vikings' preseason finale
