After months of speculation about which direction the Minnesota Vikings would go at quarterback, we have a clear answer. With Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones out and the rest of the quarterback market either being radioactive or purely backup-caliber, Minnesota is forced to accept that there is no alternative to J.J. McCarthy.
The fate of the 14-3 Vikings is now in the hands of the NFL’s answer to a redshirt freshman. McCarthy had his believers coming out of Michigan, having led the Wolverines to the National Championship. But, as always, you never really know about a quarterback until they’re under center.
However, if the transition from Darnold to McCarthy would ever work, the Vikings needed to put their quarterback in the best position possible. Of course, last season looked like a cushy spot for an unproven quarterback. Darnold had Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison out wide, Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill at tackle, and Kevin O’Connell calling the plays.
But as we all know, it wasn’t perfect, and those imperfections doomed Darnold at the worst times. The interior offensive line had a soft underbelly, incapable of regularly protecting Darnold from top-notch defensive lines nor establishing a consistent run game. As good as Darnold had it in 2024, Minnesota had to make sure their 2024 first-rounder got to enjoy an even better cast.
Well, mission accomplished. At least on paper.
The Vikings haven’t lacked for big moves. They’ve brought back 2024 studs like Byron Murphy Jr. and brought in Pro Bowl talents like Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. As great as those signings are, the real story is how well they’ve insulated McCarthy on the offensive side of the ball.
Minnesota finally got their man at guard in Will Fries. While Trey Smith was the apple of the eyes of the fans packing U.S. Bank Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs franchise-tagging him forced the team to look elsewhere for alternatives. And Fries is a hell of an alternative.
Fries lacks Smith’s perennial Pro Bowl track record but checks a ton of boxes for the Vikings. The soon-to-be 27-year-old guard was enjoying a breakout season for the Indianapolis Colts before a fractured tibia ended his year in Week 5. Still, those five games made an impression. Among 87 guards with 200 or more snaps, Fries ranked third in overall PFF grade (86.5), registering as elite in both his pass-block grade (74.9; 12th among guards) and run-block grade (84.9; fifth). Of anyone on the market, Fries had the best combination of youth and upside.
Better yet, they finally upgraded the center position, bringing in Ryan Kelly. The two-time Pro Bowler from the Colts also provides instant chemistry with Fries. While Kelly is a slight downgrade from Garrett Bradbury in the run game, he’s a much-needed upgrade in pass protection. Last season, Kelly finished sixth among 44 centers in pass-block grade (76.1), and in 2023, he sat atop the entire NFL (78.3).
It’s hard to understate how much of an upgrade that is for McCarthy to line up behind. Bradbury led all NFL centers with 37 pressures allowed on the season, eight more than second-place Josh Myers. Blake Brandel was third among guards with 41 pressures allowed, and if you combined Ed Ingram and Dalton Risner as one player, their 40 pressures would have ranked fourth.
Now replace two of those with Fries (six pressures in five games in 2024) and Kelly (11 pressures in 10 games). If they play to their 2024 levels, they’re cutting two of those interior linemen’s pressures in half. That’s 40 fewer bodies coming up the gut at McCarthy over a 17-game season, not counting any benefits to Minnesota’s third interior lineman for having a more stable situation.
Then there are the benefits they bring to Minnesota’s ground game, which the returning Aaron Jones will headline. A major weakness for Minnesota’s offense was that their ground game wasn’t reliable enough to lean on when Darnold didn’t have his best stuff. That showed itself midseason, in Week 18 and the Wild Card round. Jones wasn’t a poor runner, but the weak interior line couldn’t punch holes for him consistently.
McCarthy is absolutely, 100% going to have days where it isn’t working. There will be games where the Vikings need to take pressure off him by letting the running game go to work. With Fries in the mix, they’re able to do just that. Fries doesn’t just create running lanes; he takes defenders out of the play with controlled violence. With Darrisaw (assuming he’s healthy), O’Neill, and Fries, life should be much better for Minnesota’s ground attack.
And all of this only serves to make life easier for McCarthy. The Vikings aren’t out of ways to further help their young starting QB. They’d be wise to draft a running back who can contribute in 2025 and take pressure off Jones. It also might be wise to look for a wide receiver who can push Jalen Nailor down the depth chart or find some insurance if Darrisaw has a slow recovery.
But as of right now, all the essential ingredients for the McCarthy transition are in place. They have top-tier pass catchers, an offensive line that should both protect him and give him a reliable ground game and hopefully, a coach who finally has the tools to run a less one-dimensional Vikings offense than in seasons past. It’s fair to be nervous about tossing the keys to McCarthy, but Minnesota is continuing to do all they can to put their unproven quarterback in a position to thrive.
