Kyler Murray is hoping the Minnesota Vikings can do for him what they did for Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones: Give his NFL career a new lease on life. Murray had his share of amazing moments with the Arizona Cardinals, but he couldn’t put it all together to live up to that No. 1 pick.
Now, whether that has to do with the Cardinals remains to be seen. Nonetheless, in Minnesota, Murray will have an opportunity to work with Kevin O’Connell, and it will be interesting to see if he can bring a breath of fresh air to the QB’s career.
Still, despite Murray looking for a fresh start, he will need to earn the starting job as he faces off against J.J. McCarthy for the job. Despite this QB battle, ESPN NFL analyst Damien Woody issued a blunt message to Murray with OTAs and mandatory minicamp on the horizon.
“I think this is Kyler Murray’s job to lose,” Woody said on the May 10 edition of “Get Up.” “I think Kyler Murray is immensely talented. Remember, he was the No. 1 overall pick a few years ago.
“With the infrastructure that the Minnesota Vikings have at their disposal, including the receivers, the head coach, the play-caller and the other pieces on offense, I think Kyler Murray is going to win this job.”
J.J. McCarthy Shouldn’t Be Ruled Out to Win Starting Job
Moreover, in the same segment, Dan Graziano of ESPN stated that he doesn’t buy the notion that the Vikings are having a true competition at quarterback and that J.J. McCarthy shouldn’t be counted out.
“The fact of the matter is the Minnesota Vikings have a lot invested in J.J. McCarthy,“ Graziano added. “Part of the reason they brought in Kyler Murray was to make sure Justin Jefferson and the rest of the locker room know they’re taking seriously how bad J.J. McCarthy was last year. But that doesn’t mean they have given up on him.
“I do believe there’s part of the Vikings organization that thinks this move could sort of snap J.J. McCarthy out of whatever happened last year and maybe make him into the player they thought he was going to be. I don’t know what the chances are of that happening, but I do know it’s something the Vikings haven’t completely given up on.
Ben Leber on Vikings’ QB Competition
While the topic surrounding the Vikings will be who comes out as the starting QB, former Minnesota linebacker Ben Leber has no prefrence and simply wants it to be the best player who can get the team back in the playoffs.
“I don’t think you can really go wrong either way; I think there’s going to be some shock and awe from people who can’t believe it [if McCarthy wins the job],“ Leber said on a May 11 appearance on KFAN. “I’m sure some will think there’s politics behind it, but I honestly believe it’s all business.
“I don’t think they’re trying to placate anyone or make a political decision. I think they simply want to create as much competition as possible at every position, and quarterback is no exception. May the best man win.
“There’s too much riding on the season; there’s too much talent on this team. This is not a rebuilding year where you say, ‘Oh, we’re just going to get cute, win a few games and be competitive.‘ There’s no reason why we can’t compete to win this division. None at all… This is not just a wasted year. This is a year where, ‘Let’s go for it.’”
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