Kyler Murray being named the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback officially cast J.J. McCarthy's future into doubt. After a not-great preseason opener, McCarthy's hold on the No. 2 spot on the depth chart is tenuous.
As the Vikings move toward their second preseason game, they are hosting the Baltimore Ravens at the TCO Performance Center for two days of joint practice this week.
For a lot of coaches, those reps against an opponent are just as, if not more, valuable than preseason game reps. A leading reason for that is how those reps come in a far more controlled environment than a game.
With that in mind, both KFXN-FM's Paul Allen and the Minnesota Star Tribune's Ben Goessling shared on a recent episode of "The Paul Allen Show" that they do not expect Murray to play in the game against Baltimore on Saturday. The two days of joint practice will be valued more than the game.
Murray not playing surely means the Vikings' other offensive starters won't be playing against the Ravens, in further deference to valuing the two days of joint practice over the game.
Minnesota Vikings' expected QB plan vs. Baltimore Ravens pushes things toward a J.J. McCarthy showcase
With the Vikings' backups in line to start the game against Baltimore, that means McCarthy should get the start. He should also play plenty, on the idea that he needs reps and also needs to keep Carson Wentz from overtaking him as Murray's immediate backup.
We saw what McCarthy looked like playing with the Vikings' backups in the preseason opener against the New York Giants. It was not good, and it was also not entirely his fault that it looked as rough as it did at times.
However, the Vikings may have a particularly captive audience for a potential McCarthy trade showcase. Ravens head coach Jesse Minter was the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan in both of McCarthy's seasons as the Wolverines' starting quarterback.
If the Ravens are at all considering altering their depth chart behind Lamar Jackson before the season starts, they will get a close look at McCarthy in the coming days as they build that hypothetical database.
A close look at McCarthy could turn the Ravens off just as easily as it could bolster their potential interest in trading for him, depending on how he performs in joint practices and the game afterward.
But that's a risk the Vikings should embrace, assuming they are coming to the realization that Wentz will/should be their QB2. It would do McCarthy no good to stick around as the No. 3 quarterback, and the Vikings like him enough to do him a career favor by moving on sooner rather than later.
By letting it out to trusted reporters that Murray probably won't play against the Ravens, the Vikings are sending a Bat-signal about a likely trade showcase for McCarthy this weekend.
The opposing sideline will be subject to the most direct advertisement, but any team that's in position to add a young quarterback should pay attention too.
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