As the Giants head into Sunday’s Week 5 game against the Washington Commanders, JJ McCarthy is drawing positive reviews inside the building - even if his role still isn’t fully settled.
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said Thursday that McCarthy has handled the transition into New York’s offense at a high level since arriving from the Minnesota Vikings in a trade on September 28. The quarterback has yet to play for the Giants, but Nagy sounded encouraged by how quickly he has picked things up.
“I would say it's an A-plus,” said Nagy. “He's doing really well. That's as best as I can put it.”
Nagy said McCarthy’s growth over the last seven days has come from both sides of the process: the staff putting in the work and the quarterback attacking the playbook. Quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan and offensive quality control coach Mike Snyder have been helping McCarthy and Jake Haener get ready for whatever comes next.
Even with that progress, Nagy made it clear this is still a work in progress. The staff is trying to identify the plays that fit McCarthy best while also making sure he and Haener know the full game plan. That means it’s more than just building a small package for one quarterback.
The Giants actually had plays ready for McCarthy in their previous game, but none of them ended up being used. Nagy also stopped short of saying when McCarthy might take on a bigger role or whether he’ll move ahead of Haener on the depth chart.
Head coach John Harbaugh said Monday that McCarthy could be elevated to the backup job for Sunday’s game. If that happens, he would sit behind starter Jameis Winston, though the team has not confirmed any change.
For now, Haener is still preparing right alongside McCarthy, waiting to see how the quarterback situation develops. McCarthy’s trajectory is moving in the right direction, but the final call on his role will come down to how ready the staff believes he is.
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