Vikings Hope JJ McCarthy Has Fixed Major Throwing Weakness

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JJ McCarthy throwing in red non-contact jersey- Minnesota Vikings practice
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

While Nolan Teasley works to re-shape the Minnesota Vikings at multiple levels, most of the organization have vacated TCO Performance Center in Eagan until we get closer to the start of training camp on August 1.

In all likelihood, coaches and executives in the Vikings organization have spent the days since minicamp ended to evaluate, not just the mandatory practices they’ve conducted recently, but what they saw over the course of spring workouts, as a whole.

And from the sounds of it, they like what they have seen so far from JJ McCarthy, in at least one major area of weakness to his QB skills — his ability to layer the football between different levels of a defense.

Fowler: Vikings sources impressed by JJ McCarthy’s new layering ability

The latest such report comes via ESPN insider, Jeremy Fowler. While it’s not the first time we have about McCarthy’s improved layering, the former Minnesota Vikings reporter took things a bit further than other have so far.

Fowler’s sources claim that the 2023 No. 10 overall draft pick has “addressed [his layering] in a major way and it has shown” this spring.

“Keep in mind, with JJ McCarthy, the Vikings asked him to fix some things, including his ability to layer the ball and throw different speeds. I’m told he’s addressed that in a major way and it has shown.”

Jeremy Fowler – NFL Live (ESPN)

Related: ESPN Urges MN Vikings to Sign Talented EDGE

Obviously, his inability to throw in a changeup and layer footballs between coverages has been a knock that’s stuck with JJ McCarthy since his days at Michigan. Immediately upon Kyler Murray’s arrival, that was an area that immediately stuck out over his QB competition.

If he has, indeed, fixed that part of his game, it would go a long ways toward McCarthy’s future as an NFL quarterback.

As NFL Live host Laura Rutledge (and Allen Iverson) pointed out, we’re talking about practice. And not even padded practice, for that matter. Can McCarthy prove his layering abilities when pads come on at training camp?

If so, he’ll then have to do the same during joint practices, then preseason games. And that is only one part of his game that needs fixed before he’ll qualify as a legitimate NFL starting QB.

Most still expect Kyler Murray to win MN Vikings QB job

Which is why, even the most optimistic JJ McCarthy stans inside Minnesota Vikings facilities — like whoever is peddling information to Fowler — knows what everyone else watching this thing from the outside does.

Unless something drastic changes between now and week one of the 2026 NFL regular season, Kyler Murray is likely to be the team’s QB1. Of course, once games start to matter and guys start taking hits, anything can happen.

“The Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell are going into this battle with an open mind. They have tried their best to simulate this 50/50. Kyler Murray and JJ McCarthy were going back and forth, first team, second team, in the spring.

The way the Vikings see it is, ‘Hey we weren’t in pads, there wasn’t a lot of hitting or contact. Let’s get to camp, see how this goes,’ and whether [KOC] let’s the competition go into preseason games will be based on feel. Most people around the league I’ve spoken to do believe that, at the end of the day, Kyler Murray will win this job.”

Jeremy Fowler – NFL Live (ESPN – video above)
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