Last Sunday, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy made his on-field debut with the New York Giants when he entered their Week 5 game against the Washington Commanders with a little less than 10 minutes left in the first quarter.
McCarthy came in for a 1st-and-10 play from the Commanders' 45-yard line, and after catching the snap, he quickly pitched the ball to Giants receiver Darnell Mooney, who ended up drawing a 15-yard facemask penalty on the play when he was tackled five yards behind the line of scrimmage.
After that single play, McCarthy headed to the sideline and waited for his next opportunity with New York in the contest, while Jameis Winston re-took over his role as the starting quarterback for the Giants out on the field.
That one-play-in, one-play-out scenario is basically how New York utilized the former Vikings signal-caller in Week 5, as he finished the game against Washington with a total of five snaps, in which he carried the ball twice for two yards, and the only pass he attempted was called back due to a Giants penalty.
Giants utilizing J.J. McCarthy's athleticism since acquiring him from Vikings
McCarthy's two rushing attempts against the Commanders last weekend were both the result of him deciding to keep the football and run with it on RPO plays.
His lone pass attempt was also a quick throw to his left to New York receiver Malik Nabers behind the line of scrimmage that actually turned into a gain of over 10 yards before the play was negated by a Giants penalty.
It was a very small sample size, but in Week 5, it was clear that New York was trying to see if it could add a unique element to the team's offense by mixing in some plays that utilize McCarthy's athleticism and throwing velocity.
For those wondering if the Giants are going to continue to see if the former Minnesota quarterback can still be useful for their offense even if he doesn't start under center, it sounds like this is something that New York is going to keep in its playbook.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh spoke to the local New York media on Wednesday and shared that McCarthy could potentially even have a larger role with the offense in the future compared to the five snaps he had in Week 5.
"What you saw is probably not all we have for him right now. Whether or not he’s out there or not will be determined based on whatever happens. But we’ll see if it’s something that can help us."
Vikings fans know that McCarthy has the ability to scramble, as he gained 181 yards and four touchdowns on 37 rush attempts last season with Minnesota.
However, some of his decision-making on those scrambles led to the young quarterback putting himself in harm's way and ultimately suffering multiple injuries last year.
If McCarthy can remain healthy, then perhaps he can turn into some sort of Taysom Hill/Kordell Stewart-esque type of player for New York this season at certain points in each game.
But that if is a big one since he missed a total of 24 games due to injury in his short tenure with Minnesota, in addition to this past preseason, when he sat out the Vikings' final exhibition game of the summer because of an injured ankle.
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