Minnesota Vikings Training Camp Takeaways: Kyler Murray separating himself in QB competition after 7 practices
Through the first seven practices, the Minnesota Vikings are seeing some trends develop, especially at quarterback.
The Minnesota Vikings are seven practices into training camp, and the biggest storylines are starting to crystallize at TCO Performance Center. From the quarterback competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy to breakout performances on both sides of the ball and rookies shining, there is a lot to digest from the first week-plus of camp. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has some fascinating decisions ahead, and what we’ve seen so far paints a telling picture.
J.J. McCarthy’s inconsistency is the story
Going into this competition, I didn’t think McCarthy had much of a chance. I was on record the day after Murray signed with Minnesota that I thought the McCarthy era was officially over. The messaging coming out of the organization was placing blame on former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for the McCarthy pick and his development, which we all know doesn’t make a lot of sense. There are levels to this conversation, but McCarthy was not performing well, and the Vikings decided to go in a different direction. By doing so, they were telling him he had to prove himself to get his job back.
Quite frankly, I don’t think he’s done enough.
If you want to look at each individual day, McCarthy’s stats might be better. I don’t go by stats because there’s so much nuance and context lost when it comes to training camp numbers. You can’t get a real gauge of anything. In the regular season, you have charting, GPS data, all-22 film, and deeper analytics to understand the context behind completions and yards. You don’t get that in training camp, and you don’t truly know who’s on the field against whom. The beat writers put in great effort to track ones versus twos, but the data just isn’t useful enough.
What you can watch is the process. McCarthy’s process with his progressions and decision-making has been inconsistent, and that inconsistency is the biggest factor in why I believe Murray will end up getting the job. McCarthy has shown some growth and looks a little better than last year, but it’s not up to par with where the Vikings need him to be when it comes to processing each individual play. Going from his first read to his second to his third to his fourth and back to the checkdown, he’s not doing that with any level of detail and consistency that inspires confidence. The flashes are great. We’ve seen the flashes. The question is how to get that consistently, and right now, they aren’t getting it.
Kyler Murray is attacking vertically and processing at a higher level
One of the reasons Murray is winning this job goes beyond the processing advantage, which is significant considering he’s still learning the offense. It’s how he’s throwing the ball down the field. He is attacking vertically by throwing digs, corners, and deep overs with precision.
Murray hit Jauan Jennings in 7-on-7 on a 40-yard post route for a touchdown. Then in team drills, he hit Tai Felton on a 60-yard post route for a touchdown. During 2-minute drills, he threw up a contested ball to Justin Jefferson, and Jefferson brought it down, got away from both defenders, and scored. Murray is consistently pushing the ball downfield, and the fact that he’s doing all of this while learning the offense adds another layer to the conversation.
Is Murray perfect? No. You’d love for him to be 6-foot-3 with a slightly stronger arm while still possessing that mobility. He’s 5-foot-10 and slightly over 200 pounds. When he runs, it’s kind of like Mighty Mouse from those cartoons in the 1960s and ’70s. He has that maneuverability where he can slither through holes and make an impact. His running style is annoying in the most complimentary, fashionable way. Murray has a chance to elevate this team and maximize these weapons because there have been some excellent vertical throws during camp that we haven’t seen from McCarthy.
Tai Felton’s breakout is eerily similar to K.J. Osborn in 2021
Felton has shown a lot over the course of camp. He’s catching passes, getting separation, stacking corners, and elevating his play to a different level. For a player who barely played offense last year, this camp has been huge. He’s getting open deep, creating separation on out routes, overs, corners, and digs. Felton is looking like a legitimate receiver rather than just a gunner.
This is eerily similar to what K.J. Osborn was in 2021. Osborn was drafted in the fifth round in 2020 as a kick returner. The team didn’t announce him as a wide receiver. Felton was announced as a wide receiver at 102nd overall, but he really didn’t play the position as a rookie. He was a gunner and played fewer than 50 snaps on offense. This elevation is why you don’t give up on players after one year, even though I was down on him and thought he could be a cut candidate because we hadn’t seen anything from him. Felton is making himself undeniable and earning not only a roster spot but potentially a role as a regular contributor.
Dallas Turner looks like a game-wrecker
Turner has a lot of pressure on his shoulders going into his age-23 season. He had 8.5 sacks last year, 42 pressures, on just over 700 snaps. With no Jonathan Greenard on the roster and no clear replacement behind him in Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Turner needs to produce at a high level.
He has flashed during camp. Turner’s getting chipped, and when you’re getting chipped during practice, that says a lot about how much they respect you. On Wednesday, he thrived with a couple of sacks and consistent pressure on McCarthy during drills. He looked like a game-wrecker. This has a chance to be a special season for Turner, and do not count him out as a top edge rusher in the league.
Charles Demmings might be a huge steal
Everybody loves cornerback Charles Demmings; he’s awesome, and it’s not often that I hype up a fifth-round pick to be this next-level player. He was a star at FCS program Stephen F. Austin. Being that he played in the FCS, Demmings went to the Senior Bowl and showed that the tape wasn’t a fluke. That’s a big factor in the whole conversation.
Demmings started getting reps with the first team in 7-on-7 during the last practice of the acclimation period and held up well against Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson. He got more snaps Monday, more Tuesday with a couple of pass breakups, and then on Wednesday he stayed with Jefferson and got another pass breakup. In the red zone, he went one-on-one with Jefferson on a fade stop, draped all over him for a PBU, and did a little Too Short dance afterward.
I know it sounds irresponsible to say a fifth-round pick could be a star. I don’t care anymore because what we’re seeing is repeatable, and he’s repeating it. Demings has unbridled confidence, a good body type at over 6-foot-1 with 32” arms, and he’s staying in Jefferson’s hip pocket during camp. Jefferson hasn’t taken a step back or lost anything. Demings is just going toe to toe with him. He might just be a dude, and the Vikings may have found a massive steal in the fifth round. That is a non-zero possibility.
