NFC Notes: Terrion Arnold, J.J. McCarthy, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Lions

Lions first-round CB Terrion Arnold injured his pectoral muscle on Monday and is expected to return for the start of the season. Detroit DC Aaron Glenn isn’t sure if he’ll start immediately but knows he’ll make an impact when he’s back.

“From college, we know he can go out there and play man coverage,” Glenn said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I mean, you go out there and play in any Nick Saban defense (at Alabama), you’ve got to be able to do that, so it kind of compares to what we do. So yeah, we’ve seen enough, but he’s not where he needs to be yet. He has a lot of improving to do, and man, once he comes back from this injury, he’s got to get out there and get on the grind and continue to work.”

Packers

Packers rookie QB Michael Pratt said the battle between him and QB Sean Clifford is healthy and they’re focused on making each other better.

“He said from the very beginning of when I got here that it’s not me vs. him or him vs. me. It’s him and I vs. everyone else,” Pratt said, via Packers Wire. “I think that’s just kind of the mentality we’ve had is pushing each other to make each other better, and I think that’s what we’ve been doing. I think we’ve both been elevating every single day and ultimately, I don’t think that’s what we’re concerned about. We’re concerned about how we can help this team, how we can help the locker room, how we can help Jordan, and so, that’s the biggest emphasis right now.”

Clifford’s friendship with Pratt dates back to before the two ended up together in Green Bay. They’re both focused on making each other better and letting the competition play itself out.

“It’s super healthy,” Clifford added. “I’m honored to compete with Mike because I respect him so much as a quarterback. When you come in and you have an opportunity to get better every single day, and you know that if you take a day off, he’s not. It raises the level of the competition in the room, and I think, ultimately, we’re all here to put the best product on the field for the Packers. That’s the only thing that matters is that we’re in Super Bowl contention every single year, and we can win the North. He’s a great quarterback, so it’s awesome for me because if I slip up, he’s gonna come back and make a play, and it’s balancing that back and forth,” he said. “We know what’s at stake, but you can still be friendly and have a good competitive room and just want to win because that’s what we’re here to do.”

Vikings

With the injury to first-round QB J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings will have to rely on QBs Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens in 2024. Minnesota HC Kevin O’Connell described why he has trust in Mullens if they need him to step in. 

“He is providing context and experience and understanding of our offense on a daily basis that adds to [QBs coach] Josh [McCown], [assistant OC/QBs coach] Grant [Udinski], [OC] Wes [Phillips], myself, his experience last year I thought was critical,” O’Connell said, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “I think he learned that he could be an explosive driver of our offense and also had some lessons of taking care of the football and trying to make sure we’re playing aggressively but not over the line to where you put the ball at risk of being turned over.”

“I think the team’s excited about Nick because, like many of us, we’ve gone through the ups and downs, but he’s in a position to really be a guy we can rely on and be a snap away. But he’ll clearly start getting a lot more reps as we now prepare him to be ready to be one snap away.”