Kyle Long picks the Bears, but says NFC North is ‘wide open’
Kyle Long weighs in on the NFC North, explaining why he believes the division is wide open heading into the 2026 NFL season.
J.J. McCarthy lost out to Kyler Murray in short order for the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback role. Now, the 2024 third-round draft pick is tumbling further down the team’s depth chart ahead of the season opener.
Carson Wentz will serve as the primary backup to Murray for the Week 1 contest against the Green Bay Packers, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Wednesday, Sept. 9. McCarthy, meanwhile, will serve as the third-stringer.
O’Connell said that the arrangement was a “week-to-week” matter and not necessarily indicative of a season-long plan.
Still, O’Connell maintained that Wentz “gives us the best chance to win” this week.
“Carson, he’s got almost 100 career starts,” O’Connell said. “What he was able to do last year from a standpoint of very limited repetitions but being able to apply a career’s worth of experience, that’s kind of what you have to do as a backup quarterback – especially early on, when so much of the emphasis is on getting Kyler as comfortable as we can get him.”
The Vikings announced Murray as their starter on Aug. 11. Though the expected move threw McCarthy’s future with the franchise into question, Minnesota opted not to trade or cut its one-time quarterback of the future in the lead-up to setting its 53-man roster. Instead, O’Connell carried four quarterbacks before moving Max Brosmer to the practice squad.
O’Connell said McCarthy had not wavered despite being another degree removed from game action.
“He’s still a beacon of energy for this team,” O’Connell said. “Those traits are always gonna be there for him. … J.J. is still a young player with so much football ahead of him. We’re excited to work with him every day and continue to see that ascension. So if and when we feel like he is ready and gives us the best chance of being one snap away with limited reps, we can obviously do that.”
Wentz, 33, started five games in place of a banged-up McCarthy last season. He played multiple weeks while dealing with a left dislocation that tore his labrum and fractured the socket, but he later underwent season-ending surgery.
Vikings QB depth chart
- Kyler Murray
- Carson Wentz
- J.J. McCarthy
- Practice squad: Max Brosmer