Is J.J. McCarthy Already Ahead of Caleb Williams?

Training camp is a time for overreactions. Football fans have awakened from their July slumber, and when the gates open at TCO Performance Center, the first question on the minds of many Minnesota Vikings fans will be: How does J.J. McCarthy look in practice?

It’s totally understandable considering the stakes that are riding on McCarthy’s first year as a starter. The Vikings were 14-3 last season and probably deserved a better fate after losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell have been beefing up the roster like protective parents with a toddler who just learned how to walk. The public practices will be the first referendum on whether McCarthy is ready to become the starter.

Some Vikings fans may feel uneasy about the situation. But McCarthy may already be ahead of the curve compared to his 2024 classmate Caleb Williams.

Williams' rookie season and subsequent offseason have garnered attention for all of the wrong reasons. One of the best quarterback prospects in recent memory, Williams had breathtaking ability that helped him win the 2022 Heisman Trophy at USC and raised expectations for a franchise that hasn’t had a long-term quarterback since Jay Cutler (or, if you prefer, Sid Luckman).

The Bears were such a disaster that Williams’ father called Chicago "the place where quarterbacks go to die," and his son expressed his preference to play for O’Connell and the Vikings.

Chicago drafted Williams, and he slogged through his first professional season. The numbers were … fine. Williams threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. They could have been even better if offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus weren’t overmatched and the offensive line didn’t allow him to get sacked an NFL-high 68 times.

But there’s also part of it that’s Williams’ responsibility. The Bears did their part, adding Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson to the offensive line and poaching Ben Johnson from the Detroit Lions to work with their young quarterback. Still, Chicago's growing pains have continued into training camp.

A report from Marquee’s Scott Bair revealed this week that Williams had trouble getting Chicago’s offense lined up during a seven-on-seven drill. While Johnson channelled his inner Mike Zimmer to the point tight end Cole Kmet admitted he couldn’t understand him, the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer suggested there’s more at play when it comes to Williams’ habits off the field. Wiederer wrote:

Young quarterbacks often have this realization. But for a quarterback who has already spent a year as a starter, it’s kind of jarring to see him struggle to get down the details, even if he is working with a new offense.

The same issues haven’t surfaced in Minnesota. McCarthy arrived for his first training camp as a starter this week, but he and the Vikings had already laid a foundation. Spending a full year in O’Connell’s complex system helps. Still, McCarthy also took the opportunity to meet up with his pass catchers on several occasions, including traveling to Nashville to see T.J. Hockenson and working with his first-team offense with a cameo from Adam Thielen at a Twin Cities-area high school.

O’Connell certainly sounded happy with his young QB during a pre-camp press conference early in the week:

Some of O’Connell’s message sounds similar to what Johnson is reportedly trying to tell Williams. But McCarthy hasn’t played like a quarterback who needs someone to remind him of what it takes to succeed.

Things can change quickly, and Justin Jefferson’s hamstring injury deprives McCarthy of precious reps with his top target. But McCarthy seems to be ahead of the curve compared to where he was a year ago and a step ahead of the quarterback that people saw as the crown jewel of last year’s draft class.