Vikings HC: Sam Darnold Is QB1 over J.J. McCarthy Heading into Training Camp

Sam Darnold will be in the driver's seat in the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback competition heading into training camp, though rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy will have his say.

"We haven't had to put out a depth chart or anything like that," head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Wednesday, "but yeah, I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based upon the spring he's had, and really where he's at in his career and his quarterback journey, and what he's been able to do coming in and [hitting] the ground running and taking advantage of a competitive situation."

He added that the first two weeks of training camp would be about "really identifying and setting the stage for how we want some of these competitions to fairly play out."

Darnold, 27, hasn't exactly had a banner NFL career since being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the New York Jets. In stints with New York, the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers he posted a career record of 21-35 with 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions, completing just 59.7 percent of his passes.

But he impressed with the Niners last summer, earning the backup job behind Brock Purdy, and the Vikings signed him to a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason after Kirk Cousins bolted for Atlanta.

The Vikings didn't rest on their laurels after that move, drafting McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick. That has set up a quarterback competition, though O'Connell wants both players—along with Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall—to focus more on the process of improvement rather than worrying the depth chart.

"I have total understanding that we only control so much in this whole thing, and that's what I've challenged the quarterbacks to do—control what you can, which is your preparation," he said. "How detailed can you be? Can you stack good periods of practice together? Good days together? And before you know it, you're looking up and it's not about the camp you've had, but it's about your readiness to help the Minnesota Vikings win."

As for McCarthy, he said he "of course" wants to play immediately but recognizes that there are veterans in the building who have the advantage of experience over him.

"I grew up watching Darnold my entire life," he told reporters. "Being able to just sit there and watch him, watch Nick, watch Jaren... it's not what they say to me, it's what they do. And just being a sponge and observing them and, eventually, hopefully, one day surpassing them. But right now, they're just phenomenal human beings who are sharing their wisdom with me, and I just can't thank them enough and can't wait for training camp."