The Minnesota Vikings knew they were getting a strong-armed quarterback when they drafted J.J. McCarthy last year, but the second-year signal-caller may be just a bit too strong so far.
McCarthy has taken the lead in training camp after the team let veteran Sam Darnold leave in free agency following his career-best season. The Vikings have returned to their plan to have McCarthy at the top of the depth chart after an injury ended his rookie season before it began, but the team has one concern with the quarterback so far -- he's throwing too hard.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said McCarthy has been throwing well overall, but sometimes puts too much velocity on throws that require more touch.
"He's working on different trajectories," O'Connell said. "You're still seeing the revolutions on the ball but not that heavy finish."
ESPN's Kevin Siefert reported that McCarthy is showing progress, dropping a nice pass into the hands of tight end T.J. Hockenson during practice then putting the proper touch on another pass to wide receiver Jalen Nailor.
"There is still more work to be done, of course. Earlier in the practice, McCarthy had rifled a short pass toward running back Aaron Jones, who couldn't react fast enough to catch what should have been an easy completion," Siefert wrote. "But close observers of practice can see the progress."
