Here are four other takeaways from Tuesday’s media session with Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell:
1. McCarthy’s leading presence
O’Connell was asked Tuesday about veteran defensive tackle and captain Harrison Phillips saying McCarthy reminded him of Bills QB Josh Allen, who was Phillips’ teammate in Buffalo from 2018-21.
“I think, with J.J., probably what Harrison was referring to is just a presence,” O’Connell said. “Leadership comes from all aspects of our team, our building, our organization, to positively impact each other, and J.J. has proven from day one, after selecting him, that he has that. We knew that before we were lucky enough, fortunate enough to select him, that he had that kind of makeup. I think the teammates here have responded to that.”
Along with noticing McCarthy’s advanced comfort level in the “core foundation of the system,” O’Connell credited the job the 22-year-old has done from a leadership standpoint to fit within the rest of the team’s culture. He was frequently in the building during the offseason, always looking for methods to gain an edge and positively impact the rest of the organization.
“It’s been awesome this summer, seeing these guys getting together, working, whether it was in, I think in Nashville at one point, and then here locally with the full group,” O’Connell reflected, noting McCarthy had a phenomenal offseason. “You feel the energy and the enthusiasm, not only that J.J. has brought to the group, but that they’re reciprocating right back to him.”