Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings are preparing for a three-way QB battle with Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz, and J.J. McCarthy vying for the starting job. Moreover, the competition will also determine the rest of the depth chart behind QB1.
Murray arrived in Minnesota after being cut by the Arizona Cardinals. As a result, he’s looking for a fresh start with the Vikings and likely wants to be head coach Kevin O’Connell’s next success story after working with Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones.
Before any snaps are taken, Murray is seen as the favorite for the starting job. However, former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber doesn’t see it that way, as he raised a few concerns.
“Kyler probably, in their mind, is on top of the depth chart, but as I look at it right now, I don’t think you can say that,”Leber said during an appearance on KFAN on March 23. “The guy has so many question marks. Kyler Murray, speaking of, has so many question marks about whether or not he can fit within this offense.
“There’s going to have to be a compromise from KOC in the plays he calls and the type of style he wants from his quarterback. There’s also going to have to be a measure of movement with Kyler Murray in what he can actually do in this offense. The amount of under-center plays that Kyler Murray has faced in his first seven years in Arizona is a fraction of what [O’Connell] wants.”
Vikings QB Kyler Murray Will Need to Play More Under Center
Moreover, Leber went into detail regarding his concern regarding Murray’s ability to go from mostly playing QB out of the shotgun in Arizona to playing under center in Minnesota.
“The amount of under-center plays that Kyler Murray has faced in his first, what, seven years in Arizona is a fraction of what KOC wants,” Leber added. “Virtually in the first five years with Kliff Kingsbury, it was something like 90 percent shotgun, 10 percent under center. When the new regime comes in, they go a little bit more of a pro-style offense, and they increase his volume of under-center up to 25 percent.
“I looked at Sam Darnold’s year that he was here with us. I think he was under center 45 percent of the time. So if that’s the barometer, if that’s the new standard, the new KOC standard of this is where we want our quarterbacks to be. Look what Sam Darnold did. Well, we got to go from 25 percent under center to 45 percent, and we all know that’s not going to happen.”
J.J. McCarthy Gets Blunt Reality Check
Meanwhile, Alec Lewis of The Athletic shared that he’s spoken with people around the league, and they also believe Murray will be the Vikings’ starter. Lewis also painted a brutal reality check for McCarthy and his prospects of winning this battle.
“You talk to people in the league, and they’re like, it is a little silly,”Lewis said on the March 18 edition of “The Alec Lewis Show.” “There’s a guy who’s played seven years and thrown for 3,500 yards four times, a guy as dynamic as he is, who chose theMinnesota Vikings over other opportunities. You’re not doing that if you’re not the starting quarterback.
“It would take something beyond drastic for J.J. to come out and win the job, which isn’t a referendum on J.J. or where he is. He has shown the high-end flashes. It’s just going to be about consistency, and it will be really interesting to see what he looks like fundamentally.”