J.J. McCarthy has lost his starting role with the Minnesota Vikings, and could slip further down the depth chart.The No. 10 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft spent much of his summer in an intriguing competition with new signing Kyler Murray, and ultimately lost his spot.McCarthy (L) lost the Vikings’ quarterback battle to Murray (R)GettyVikings head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed ahead of the preseason opener that Murray will be his starting quarterback, with McCarthy settling for the backup role.But his effort in that first warm-up game, against the New York Giants, has some worrying he could end up as the third-string signal caller instead.In 17 snaps over the weekend, McCarthy completed 4-of-7 passes for 34 yards. He handled three drives, but generated zero points.NFL veteran Carson Wentz, meanwhile, performed much better. He went 9-of-14 for 81 yards and a touchdown.NFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.MORE INFO & SIGN-UP HERE!This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.Those performances led to NFL insider Mike Florio questioning if McCarthy is now in danger of being demoted behind Wentz, who has already been trusted as an understudy to the starter in Minnesota before.While 23-year-old McCarthy continues to be listed as backup to Murray, Coach O’Connell has suggested he’ll be in competition with both Wentz, and former undrafted quarterback Max Brosmer, to keep that spot.J.J. McCarthy is backup QB for now amid competitive room“What I would say is this: I did mean that in regards to the question of is he (the backup), is that he has taken all the two reps in practice and he’s done really well,” O’Connell said Wednesday.“You think about from the time we made that announcement until now, there’s been some plays where I’ve been proud as heck. There’s been some really good stuff. But I want those guys feeling like they’re competing.“The philosophy around making our quarterback room competitive and allow that to rise to the standard of not only our team but our offense.“I know you guys would roll your eyes every time I mentioned Carson and Max’s names throughout the offseason as part of it, but they’re part of it. That’s what we want throughout that quarterback room.McCarthy could slip further down the depth chart after a poor preseason outingGetty“We want Carson feeling like he can do the things consistently that he can do, that we know exactly who and what he is, and we want J.J. feeling like I’m one step away, and I have to prepare like the starter anyway.“It’s easy to say those things, but we wanted to have a room that forced it. We’ll see these next couple of weeks play out.“We’re going to do what’s best for our team. Proud of the way J.J.’s handled the last few days. Thought Carson did some good things in the game.“I wish we could have gotten Max more time, but hopefully that can come here through these next two preseason games.”The competition, it seems, will keep coming for McCarthy heading into Week 1.And while he’s impressed O’Connell with his reaction to losing the starting job, there’s no guarantee he remains as backup, with a veteran like Wentz breathing down his neck.Wentz has proven himself a reliable backup quarterback in years gone byGettyThe next two preseason games, and the remainder of training camp, will decide the Vikings depth chart. But with speculation swirling, Christopher Kline of FanSided believes McCarthy could depart Minnesota if he loses his No.2 spot.J.J. McCarthy tipped for shock trade if Vikings career falls apartHe sees the Cleveland Browns as a potential landing spot for the former first-round pick.“Look, as bad as McCarthy was last season… he’s probably Cleveland’s best quarterback on day one,” Kline wrote.“Deshaun Watson would still start Week 1, but McCarthy would almost certainly finish the season under center.McCarthy has been tipped to shake up a Browns QB room and join Sanders and WatsonGetty“The Browns are stuck choosing between an injury-prone turnover machine on a gaudy contract in Watson, and a second-year quarterback with little more than name recognition on his NFL resume in Shedeur Sanders.“McCarthy, like most quarterbacks, probably won’t benefit from playing in Cleveland. That’s a bad situation for even the most competent of (quarterbacks). But, it does give him a chance to play, which clearly is something McCarthy values.“If he wants a chance to break through, rather than holding an iPad on the sidelines and running the second unit in practice, Cleveland is the best spot.”