Murray (concussion) limited in Wednesday practice

Murray was in a fencing posture after taking a hit to the head from Javon Bullard in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Packers. Murray was reportedly in good spirits after the game, but he will have to pass a series of tests in the coming days in time to be cleared for next week’s game against the Bears. While the Vikings are unsure whether or not Murray will be available, it’s not at all uncommon for a concussed player to miss the following week’s game. We’ll see how things unfold over the week, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Carson Wentz draws the start next week with J.J. McCarthy serving as his backup.

Murray suffered a scary concussion on a late hit from Packers defender Javon Bullard. The good news, if you can call it that, is that he didn’t suffer anything more than a concussion. Murray will miss the remainder of this game and at least one more week. Carson Wentz is under center and J.J. McCarthy is now the Vikings’ backup.

Murray scrambled to his right and slid late. Packers defender Javon Bullard dove into his head as he went to the ground, knocking Murray’s helmet off entirely. Bullard was flagged for unnecessary roughness. Murray left the game for further evaluation. Carson Wentz is now under center.

Jefferson told Seifert what many of us were concerned about this spring and summer — that having the Murray and QB J.J. McCarthy split first-team reps “was an added challenge.” At the Vikings’ joint practice against the Ravens on Wednesday, Jefferson beat a double team for a touchdown, “but had roughly a half dozen passes broken up as he tried to muscle for position.” Jefferson should still be treated as a WR1, but as he told Seifert, “work needs to be done.”

It’s not quite a ringing endorsement for Murray, acquired from the Cardinals this offseason. Murray had a brief competition with incumbent starter JJ McCarthy that included inconsistent play from both signal callers. On Tuesday the Vikings said the competition was over, and that Murray had won. “In my opinion,” O’Connell said, "[Kyler] has got the skill set and the abilities not only just from the standpoint of accuracy and his ability to affect the game with his athleticism, but he’s also proven to be smart, very hardworking, and be able to take in a lot of information and churn that out. Now we really want to give him the opportunity to really start building a comfort level not only with the system but with the guys.” Reportedly fired up about proving himself after flaming out with the Cardinals, Murray should be an upgrade for Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson in 2026. Murray has worked closely with Addison throughout the offseason.

Though the Vikings staged what appeared to be a (short-lived) quarterback competition between Murray and JJ McCarthy, the result was likely determined from the outset. Murray and McCarthy split first-team reps for much of the offseason and into training camp, with both QBs struggling at times. There was no way the Vikings were going to pay the steep price of acquiring Murray from the Cardinals only to sit him behind McCarthy. Murray as starter is probably good news for Justin Jefferson, who last season had one of the NFL’s lowest catchable target rates. Murray should be fine as a floor-based fantasy play in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. McCarthy should still be rostered in superflex formats behind the oft-injured Murray.

According to Seifert, the Vikings have given Murray “roughly two-thirds of the snaps with the first-team offense in 11-on-11 drills,” while J.J. McCarthy “has spent a significant portion of his summer working with the No. 2 offense.” While reports have been up and down on Murray thus far, Seifert also suggests the gap between Murray and McCarthy remains wide after the first two weeks of camp, saying that “no objective observer to training camp could say that (McCarthy) has made up the ground necessary to truly challenge Murray” this summer. There are still two weeks left to go in camp, but it sounds like McCarthy will need a lot to go right for him to get the nod for Week 1 against the Packers.

Per Lewis, Murray connected on a notable deep pass at one point, and ESPN’s Kevin Seifert also noted that Murray is pushing the ball downfield. Fellow Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy “spent more time with the No. 2 group” and attempted fewer downfield passes. If this is an indicator that Murray is pulling away, that’s a good thing. The sooner one quarterback begins taking all first-team reps the better.

While Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are both expected to enter training camp in competition for the team’s QB1 role, it sounds like O’Connell would prefer to land on a decision sooner rather than later. Murray, by all accounts, appears to be the leader in the clubhouse to open the season as the starter, but McCarthy has received praise from teammates and coaches for his improvement as a passer and his ability to throw with a little more accuracy and touch. Currently going around the late ninth/early tenth round of best ball drafts, Murray could turn out to be a nice value if he wins the job and can return to the player who finished as a top-10 fantasy QB in fantasy points per game from 2020 to 2022 under KOC.

On one hand, it’s “just” OTAs. On the other hand, this is the second reporter to suggest there’s a noticeable difference between what Murray and McCarthy offer at the position. We’re less than a full week removed from ESPN’s Kevin Seifert saying the gap between the two QBs is “not close,” and now, Ragatz is all but suggesting the same in his most recent article. While there have been reports of McCarthy making strides as a passer this offseason, the bar has been set so low after 2025’s debacle, that any marginal improvements could garner praise for JJMC at this point. We’ll get a better sense of where things really stand between Murray and McCarthy when the pads come on in training camp, but Murray continues to sound like the clearcut QB1 to start the season, despite the Vikings’ best efforts to suggest the winner of this camp battle hasn’t already been determined.