Vikings Get Concerning Kyler Murray Take Before Training Camp

The Minnesota Vikings will determine their starting QB through a competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy. With training camp and the preseason nearing, head coach Kevin O’Connell will have to make a decision at some point and pick a winner.

McCarthy is looking to show that he’s improved from last season and can find that consistency that’s needed to be a successful starter in the NFL. Meanwhile, Kyler Murray should have a chip on his shoulder after the Arizona Cardinals cut ties with him this offseason.

Even though many are picking Murray to be the Vikings’ starter, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell shared a major concern regarding the Vikings being an offense that requires its QB to play under center and whether the former Cardinals star is the player who can run this offense. 

“KOC has been a little more flexible than maybe I’m giving him credit for,” Barnwell said in a July 17 video. “But I feel pretty confident they want to be an under-center offense. They’ve been under center 47 percent of the time under Kevin O’Connell. Kyler Murray, in Arizona, hasn’t been under center very often, only about 5 percent of the time.

“That’s by design because Kyler isn’t the biggest guy. He’s operated out of the shotgun and the pistol dating back to his time in college. He can see the field more easily, and it’s easier to get him involved in the quarterback run game. That’s what’s worked for him.”

Moreover, Barnwell notes that O’Connell will need to find the right balance between accommodating his offense to Murray and maintaining the importance of being able to operate under center.

“They’re going to have to find a balance, whether that means using more pistol or moving Kyler Murray out of the pocket more often,“ Barnwell added. “They’re going to have to find a way to make this work because I don’t think Kyler Murray can just drop into the same offense they’ve run in years past and succeed.”

Vikings Might Need to Make Decision on Starting QB Soon

With the new Vikings QB needing to get accustomed to playing under center, Barnwell appears to ponder how long this competition between McCarthy and Murray will last. The ESPN analyst notes that it will be important for whoever wins to have the first-team reps and, in Murray’s case, the ability to work under center should he win the battle.

“That’s why the quarterback competition is interesting because you want it to look like a competition, but Kyler Murray doesn’t have that background under center. Every training camp rep that you’re splitting with the first team between J.J. McCarthy and Murray is a rep you’re taking away from Kyler to get accustomed to a new offense. It’s going to be a daily check-in for Kevin O’Connell.”

During his time with the Cardinals, Murray posted a passer rating of 92.2 with 20,460 yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions in 87 games, per StatMuse. It will be interesting to see if the new Vikings QB can make the most of his fresh start and show he can still be a starter.

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