The Minnesota Vikings are rolling the dice that Kyler Murray can tap into the potential that made him the No. 1 pick with a fresh start. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has worked his magic on QBs with several question marks, such as Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones.
As a result, O’Connell will look to do the same with Murray, who will need to edge out J.J. McCarthy in the team’s QB competition to determine the starter. Nonetheless, many expect the former Arizona Cardinals to win the battle.
Should Murray emerge as the Vikings starter, former NFL QB and analyst Phil Simms shared his prediction of how the Murray experiment will go for Minnesota.
“I think it will be very successful,” Simms said on the May 20 edition of “Simms Complete.” “Kevin needed this. He needed a different way, different thoughts. Do this, and you’ve got a quarterback that’s going to be fired up and ready to go to show everybody one more chance that he can be the guy for the team.”
Last season with the Cardinals, Murray posted a 72.2 overall PFF grade, even though his campaign was cut short due to injury. Moreover, across 195 dropbacks, the 28-year-old threw for 962 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also recorded four big-time throws and three turnover-worthy plays.
Joe Theismann Issues Big Question for Minnesota
Moreover, another NFL QB on the program was Joe Theismann, and he shared the big question he has about this Vikings-Murray marriage before he can say it will be a successful one.
“One of the greatest challenges we’re going to see in the NFL will be what’s Kevin going to do up in Minnesota with Kyler Murray,“ Theismann said. “What kind of offense is going to be created to accommodate the things that he does well, which is move around a lot, a little bit different than he did when he had Sam Darnold there or even J.J.”
Vikings Brian O’Neill on Kyler Murray’s Mobility
Speaking of the mobility Murray will bring to the Vikings’ offense, should he win the job, the Vikings’ offensive line will have to prepare to protect a QB who often makes plays with his legs.
On the May 7 edition of “Green Light with Chris Long,” Vikings’ Brian O’Neill offered his first impressions of the team’s new signal-caller and potential starting QB should he win the competition over McCarthy.
“We’ll find out how I’ve got to change,” O’Neil added. “I had Kirk [Cousins] for six years, where you knew exactly where his back foot was going to be, and you knew where he was going to be in the pocket.
“There are good sides and bad sides where, maybe with a guy like Kyler, and we got some of this with J.J. too, where if you have a guy who can run and break one for 30 or 40, as an offensive lineman, they might have more rush lane integrity.
“If you have a guy who’s going to be in the same exact spot, you can run more three-man games, four-man games, which are harder to deal with. But if you’ve got a guy who can break a big one and you’re going to double-team [Justin Jefferson], at some point, we might not know where he is.”
Vikings Receive Clear Kyler Murray Prediction From Phil Simms