Latest news on Kyler Murray shows the Vikings may have to trade for a quarterback now more than ever
It’s been a wild week for the Minnesota Vikings, especially with the roller coaster with quarterback Kyler Murray.
The biggest talking point surrounding the Minnesota Vikings is at the quarterback position. Kyler Murray hasn’t been nearly good enough for the Vikings, and it’s prompted many to ask for head coach Kevin O’Connell to make a change.
When he announced that Murray had a hamstring strain and would miss Monday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills, we knew that there was a hamstring strain. What we didn’t know was how severe.
Ultimately, it appears to be a Grade 2 hamstring strain, per The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero.
Kyler Murray has a Grade 2 hamstring strain
It’s a much different situation for the Vikings now with Murray having a Grade 2 strain, which could be a multiple week injury. Pelissero made it clear that it’s the injury keeping Murray out.
“Murray received several medical opinions on the hamstring after last Sunday’s loss at Detroit, and the risk of making the injury worse or having Murray alter his style by trying to play this week weren’t worth it. So Carson Wentz will start against the Bills, and then the Vikings will reassess Murray’s health ahead of their Week 10 NFC North matchup with the Packers.
While the Vikings offense ranks 30th in offensive EPA this season, the team was encouraged by Murray’s progress before last week’s struggles, including some uncharacteristic misses that may have been caused by his inability to plant normally because of the injured hamstring. The injury—not Murray’s performance—is the reason he’ll be inactive Monday night.”
It’s really frustrating for the Vikings to have another quarterback injury, but it’s something O’Connell has experienced multiple times during his tenure. It also speaks highly of a need to add a quarterback ahead of the trade deadline. Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones have been mentioned due to their experience in O’Connell’s offense. Even so, they should consider adding Geno Smith instead.
Curiously, O’Connell did say that injured reserve isn’t an option for Murray right now, but will that change with this latest information? That does pique my interest.
We will see what happens over the course of the next few days, but something should happen quickly.
