KOC gives positive injury updates on Christian Darrisaw, J.J. McCarthy

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell gave encouraging injury updates on both Christian Darrisaw and J.J. McCarthy during his NFL combine press conference in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

It's been four months since Darrisaw, the Vikings' star left tackle, tore both the ACL and MCL in his left knee in a game against the Rams. He underwent successful surgery in early November and has been on the mend since then. Though he still obviously has a long way to go, Darrisaw is doing well in his rehab process, O'Connell said.

"Christian Darrisaw's doing really well in his rehab," he said. "When you through the tape and watch CD's impact, I think he was playing as well as anybody in football through those first six weeks. It was a huge loss. ... I'll be very much looking forward to getting CD back. He's having a great offseason, the rehab process, he's absolutely killing it every step of the way, so I look forward to seeing how his spring and summer go and get him ready to roll for 2025."

Darrisaw still has six months and some change to recover before the Vikings' regular season opener, which will undoubtedly be a goal of his. Darrisaw, who turns 26 this summer, has proven to be one of the better left tackles in football. He earned a four-year extension worth up to $113 million last offseason. After his injury in October, the Vikings traded for Cam Robinson, who is now set to depart in free agency.

McCarthy, who suffered a torn meniscus last August, is on a different timeline than Darrisaw. His injury occurred two months earlier and was a bit less severe, giving him a real chance to be ready to go for the start of the Vikings' offseason program in April.

"J.J.'s doing really well from a standpoint of where he's progressed to in his rehab," O'Connell said. "In a phase now where he's got his sights set on that offseason program start date, and getting off to a great start there."

McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in last year's draft, will have a great opportunity to earn the Vikings' starting quarterback job if Sam Darnold leaves in free agency next month. He's described himself as "ahead of schedule" in his recovery from the knee injury. After losing some weight after the meniscus injury, McCarthy is apparently back up above 200 pounds, which is another good sign.

Despite not being able to play last season, there was a lot that McCarthy was able to learn in his first year in the NFL. He stayed involved all year in meetings and helping Darnold and the other quarterbacks prepare for games, also meeting individually with O'Connell on a weekly basis. McCarthy got all kinds of mental reps, many of which came with the help of virtual reality programs that simulated real action.

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