Vikings Address J.J. McCarthy, Sam Howell QB Competition Ahead of Training Camp

Asked by Eisen if Howell is in competition with McCarthy, O'Connell said that every quarterback is in competition with themselves to be prepared to play, but offered another breadcrumb toward McCarthy progressing closer to earning the starting job.

"J.J.'s gonna be in a great position to assume and ascend in our organization, but right now, we really don't have any feelings on competition as much as we've got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase," O'Connell said before teasing the psuedo competition ahead in training camp. "Sam [Howell] will be a part of it. We’ve got to get Sam ready to play. We’ve got to get Brett Rypien ready to play.

"I don’t think Vikings fans or any wildly successful nationally renowned broadcasters like yourself should be worried about the amount of reps J.J. is going to get with the [starters]," O'Connell told Eisen. "Let me put you at peace, Rich. When (McCarthy) is taking snaps, he's taken plenty of snaps from Ryan Kelly, who happens to be a ten-year starting center in this league. So take that for what it's worth."

While Howell, a 2022 fifth-round pick by the Washington Commanders, struggled in his one year as a starter (leading the NFL with 21 interceptions in 2023), he was done no favors by a dysfunctional Washington organization and flashed some upside tools that left some first-round projections.

Howell doesn't have the same tools as true first-rounders like McCarthy or Sam Darnold, and given his current track record, he's closer to a replacement-level backup like Nick Mullens was for Minnesota the past three years.