Process means everything in a player’s development, especially at that position. McCarthy will still take part in quarterback meetings and film sessions and benefit from watching and learning from the sideline. What he will miss is that next important step of applying all that knowledge he gains on the practice field.

McCarthy has looked far more comfortable and polished in training camp than he did in spring workouts, which underscores the step-by-step nature of learning to play the position. What impact this injury hiatus has on his development will be determined months from now.

“From Day 1 back in the spring until Saturday night, the transformation of a really good player had really started to look like an NFL quarterback,” O’Connell said. “I really believe that J.J. has kind of confirmed to me and a lot of our coaches and players that we got the right guy in the building for the future, and he did it in a short amount of time. That’s what makes this news hard because you know how exciting it would have been daily minute-to-minute process.”

O’Connell has gone to great lengths to fend off any outside perceptions or chatter about McCarthy’s timetable. The organization had no plans to put the rookie on the field until O’Connell and his coaching staff determined that he was fully ready. That is their one and only timeline.

The best-case scenario even before McCarthy’s injury was for Sam Darnold to play so well that McCarthy’s timetable did not become a daily discussion.

That remains the case, though any visions of McCarthy replacing Darnold at some point the season is no longer an option. It’s now Darnold or bust.