If you have four quarterbacks, you probably have none, or are the luckiest/best team in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns head into their initial 53-man roster decisions not knowing how many quarterbacks they will keep after starter Deshaun Watson. At this point, it feels as likely that all three of Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Taylen Green are on that roster as not.
Few believe the Browns long-term answer is currently on the roster.
The Minnesota Vikings had hoped they had solved their quarterback
need when they drafted JJ McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team was so confident that they let QB Sam Darnold leave in free agency to hand the keys over to McCarthy.
So far, that has gone so poorly that the Vikings signed Kyler Murray and gave him the starting job early and camp, and now reports are that McCarthy may not even make the initial 53-man roster in Minnesota:
O’Connell gave him the day off Wednesday so that he could rest up enough to start Friday’s final preseason matchup with the Broncos. But McCarthy did not play. Wentz started and appears to be in line to be the team’s backup. McCarthy’s comfort (or lack thereof) with being QB3 could dictate his future in Minnesota.
That report from The Athletic fits what we heard from Vikings fans over at The Daily Norseman, who were talking about a McCarthy-for-Sanders trade earlier this week:
McCarthy played 10 games last season, after missing his entire rookie year due to a knee injury. With the former Michigan Wolverine as a starter, Minnesota was 6-4, but McCarthy only completed 58% of his passes for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
More than one in the Vikings media believes that McCarthy will not have a chance to add to those numbers:
The NFL has seen some resurgence of first-round picks in recent years, including Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and even Mac Jones, to a lesser extent. Could McCarthy, who most feel was overdrafted by a couple of rounds, be the next to join that list after getting a fresh start somewhere? Should Cleveland have interest in being the spot where he gets that fresh start?
Do you think the Browns should make a cheap trade of McCarthy, claim him if he’s waived, or stay far away from the former 1st-round pick?
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