Vikings' Kevin O'Connell noncommittal on J.J. McCarthy's return when healthy

The Minnesota Vikings could be on the brink of a quarterback controversy.

Backup quarterback Carson Wentz started in place of the injured J.J. McCarthy this past weekend, guiding the Vikings to a 48-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

While the Vikings went 1-1 with the former Michigan Wolverine at the helm, Wentz looked incredibly comfortable under center for Minnesota, and he'll have a couple more opportunities to play while McCarthy recovers from his ankle sprain. But if Wentz plays well enough, could he supplant the first-year starter?

Kevin O'Connell Noncommittal on J.J. McCarthy's Return

When asked about McCarthy's return once healthy, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell would not fully commit to immediately inserting the former Michigan standout back into the starting lineup.

"We saw, as phenomenal as he was getting prepared for the Atlanta game (after the birth of his son), he did miss practice that week," said O'Connell via Alec Lewis of The Athletic.

"And when you’re in the phase of building up the 10,000 reps and 10,000 hours it takes to play the position at a very high level, which we know J.J. McCarthy is going to do, you can’t cut corners on that. And (the initial question) also doesn’t require an answer today."

O'Connell subtly pointed out that before the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft can return to the starting lineup, he's going to need a full week of practice, whenever that may be.

Regardless, before McCarthy can even return to practice, Wentz can cement himself as the starting quarterback with strong outings and wins against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns before the Week 6 bye.

If Minnesota is 3-0 with Wentz under center, it could be hard to go away from the veteran quarterback.