The Minnesota Vikings were hit by a major injury, as first-round pick and former Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy injured his knee during the first week of preseason. After complaining of knee pain, it was revealed that McCarthy would need to undergo meniscus surgery.
Read more: Vikings QB JJ McCarthy will be out for the entire 2024 NFL season
The Vikings had to decide whether to trim the meniscus or have it completely repaired. A trim would have caused McCarthy to be out for weeks, while a repair would have caused him to be out for months.
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After weighing the options, the Vikings and McCarthy opted for a full meniscus repair, which completely ended his 2024 season. Although McCarthy was involved in a quarterback battle with longtime veteran Sam Darnold, Darnold will now be the starter.
McCarthy potentially could have returned at some point depending on his recovery time for meniscus surgery, but the Vikings have officially ended his season.
The Vikings placed QB JJ McCarthy on the injured list, ending their season, and in a corresponding move signed former Panthers QB Matt Corral.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) 16 August 2024
Adam Schefter reported that McCarthy was placed on the injured list, officially ending his 2024 season. The Vikings also announced the signing of quarterback Matt Coral.
Corral has spent some time in the NFL, as he was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers as the No. 94 overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Although Corral was a promising developmental player, he suffered a Lisfranc injury in the preseason that ended his 2022 season.
Corral was expected to get his career back on track in 2023, but was released by the Panthers in 2023, just days after being added to the 53-man roster. Corral was quickly picked up by the New England Patriots a day later and spent less than a month with the team before being released for leaving the team’s facility without notice and failing to report for two days.
Corral then moved to the UFL where he played for the Birmingham Stallions. He appeared in four games and started three times. In four games, Corral had 494 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 81.0.
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Corral now joins a Vikings quarterback roster that includes Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall. Mullens is currently the clear QB2, and it will likely be a battle between Hall and Corral for the third and final quarterback spot.
Injuries can happen at any time, so the Vikings have made sure to add some depth to the team in case another quarterback goes down. Although Corral doesn’t have much NFL experience, he will add some much-needed depth to the increasingly thin quarterback room.
