After suffering a high ankle sprain last weekend in a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, young quarterback J.J. McCarthy has progressed enough that he was able to return to the practice field for the Vikings.

Kind of.

Though he wasn’t able to actually participate with his teammates on Friday afternoon at TCO Performance Center, McCarthy stood alongside head coach Kevin O’Connell on the sideline, listening while he delivered the play call to veteran quarterback Carson Wentz in the huddle.

That’s as much as McCarthy will be able to be a part of in the short term.

“He’s handling his responsibilities from a rehab standpoint,” O’Connell said. “We’re kind of through the initial wave of that, as far as getting the swelling down and all those things.”

That’s a step in the right direction for M

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