Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy is on track to be fully healthy for OTAs in May. Now nearly six months removed from August surgery to repair his meniscus, McCarthy is “expected to begin football drills in the next few weeks and should be ready roll by OTAs,” according to NFL Media insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

That report echoes the same sentiment McCarthy expressed this week in various interviews at Super Bowl radio row in New Orleans. Asked about reports that he’s “ahead of schedule” in his recovery process, he told Rich Eisen “that’s very fair” to say. In an interview with SI, McCarthy himself said he’s ahead of schedule. “We’ll be ready in around 67 days for OTAs,” he said. “We’re running, throwing, everything feels great.”

If McCarthy is already running and throwing, the next step will presumably be to ramp up the speed and intensity of his workouts and movements. What exactly “football drills” means in that context is hard to know, but the general point is that he should be ready to go without significant (or any) limitations for the team’s offseason program, which will begin in mid-April and progress up to OTAs in May. The Vikings’ medical and training staffs have had McCarthy on a clear day-to-day plan ever since the injury.

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The big question, of course, is who else will be in Minnesota’s quarterback room with McCarthy when the offseason program begins. Will Sam Darnold be back, or will it be a cheaper veteran — with a lower expectation of starting — like Daniel Jones?

This excerpt from the Rapaport and Pelissero story is an interesting one:

“The focus is constructing the roster in a way that ensures they can put a championship-caliber team around whoever is under center. And just as with Cousins last year, it only takes one team to offer Darnold a contract that the Vikings simply don’t feel comfortable matching. If the Vikings and Darnold can’t work out a deal before March 4, the franchise tag — or even a tag-and-trade — are among several options. But it’s too early in the process to know where this ends.”

That sure makes you think it’ll be McCarthy, doesn’t it? The Vikings like Darnold a lot, but his price tag seems likely to reach a place that may not make sense for Minnesota. The idea of constructing a championship-caliber team around the quarterback completely favors McCarthy, whose rookie contract is a major advantage in terms of addressing needs in free agency and building a well-rounded roster.

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