Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: May be ready to practice this week

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Head coach Kevin O'Connell suggested Tuesday that McCarthy (ankle) could be ready to resume practicing this week, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports. "My hope is ... maybe not necessarily early on - we're going to handle Wednesday, probably in a unique way, from what could be kind of a hybrid day, but as we get into Thursday and Friday, I'm hoping we can at least get him out there and get him taking some drops and starting to get back in the normal rhythm of the practice week," O'Connell said of McCarthy. "It will all depend on kind of where he's at with the benchmarks of being able to go out there and start moving around a little bit."

O'Connell didn't comment on McCarthy's potential availability for Sunday's game against the Browns in London, but since the second-year signal-caller isn't expected to be ready to handle full reps with the first-team offense during the week, he'll likely be ticketed for a backup role if he's active in Week 5. Carson Wentz has started under center the last two games, leading the Vikings to a 1-1 record while completing 44 of 66 passes for 523 yards (7.9 YPA), four touchdowns and two interceptions. O'Connell hasn't ruled out the possibility of the veteran retaining the starting job even after McCarthy is back to full health, though it may be contingent on Wentz turning in a quality outing in Week 5 against a stout Browns defense.