BEREA, Ohio — Sam Darnold was always going to be the Week 1 starter for the Vikings when they traveled to play the New York Giants on Sept. 8. The veteran quarterback has performed well throughout training camp at TCO Performance Center, especially over the past couple of weeks as he’s started to find his groove in the offense.

As impressive as Darnold has been, however, the existence of rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy provided the Vikings with a safeguard if things started to go sideways. Not anymore.

After undergoing surgery to repair a torn right meniscus this week, McCarthy is expected to miss the season, leaving Darnold as the unquestioned starter in Minnesota. What does that mean for the Vikings? Though the answer to that question likely won’t be known for a while, there has been some reason for optimism.

“I think our offense has potential to be good,” Darnold said. “We’ve just got to continue to work every single day and I think we’ll be all right.”

There have been glimpses of it over the past couple of weeks with Darnold garnering praise from head coach Kevin O’Connell, star receiver Justin Jefferson and starting center Garrett Bradbury.

“My confidence level in Sam is very, very high at this point,” O’Connell said. “Looking forward to seeing him continue his progression.”

The progression for Darnold continued this week. After looking the part last weekend with a few nice throws in the preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Darnold followed it up with good work this week during joint practices with the Cleveland Browns.

“I think he’s been doing a tremendous job,” Jefferson said. “He’s been making plays all around. He’s still learning the system and still trying to get used to everybody. That chemistry is definitely coming along.”

Asked where he’s seen the most growth in himself, Darnold pointed to his relationship with O’Connell and the importance of being on the same page.

“Just being able to know exactly what he’s thinking,” Darnold said. “If we get a certain coverage, I know where he wants me to go with the football. It’s kind of that. It’s understanding the play-caller’s intent when we call a play and going and making that play come to life.”

There are still a number of intricacies that Darnold is getting a handle on as he continues to familiarize himself with the offense. He’s been working in concert with the offensive line, for example, in order to make protection calls before the snap.

“It’s those kind of reps that we want with him where we can kind of change things on the fly,” Bradbury said. “I feel really comfortable with him and I think he’s done a great job.”

Maybe the most important thing that can be gleaned simply by talking to Darnold’s teammates is that he’s already seemed to have gained their trust. That cannot be overstated as Darnold will now be the guy the Vikings have to rely on moving forward.

“He connects with just about everybody in the locker room, and that’s what we love to see,” Bradbury said. “It starts there with building the relationships off the field. He’s awesome to work with so far. Just a great friend and a great teammate and I’m happy to have him.”

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