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Training camp for the Minnesota Vikings is underway, and the main storyline is the QB competition between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray. Both players have a chip on their shoulder to fuel them in this battle as the signal-callers look to prove they are still NFL starters.
Murray was cut by the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, so the former No. 1 pick probably wants to show that he’s not ready to be a backup in the league. Meanwhile, McCarthy has only a handful of games as a starter under his belt and likely wants to prove that he can be the Vikings’ franchise QB.
Amid the heat of the competition starting with training camp and the preseason, former Vikings wideout Adam Thielen shared his thoughts on the competition during a July 27 appearance on “NFL Live.”
“I think it’s Kyler Murray’s job right now,” Thielen said. “But if J.J. McCarthy comes in and shows what he wasn’t doing well last year, he could win that job. First of all, when you see J.J. in person and you’re around him, you want to be around him.
“He’s a great leader [and] fun to be around. He’s just a guy that everyone loves. At the end of the day, they drafted him in the first round, and they want him to have success. So if he comes in and shows it, he could win that job. But right now, it’s Kyler’s job.”
J.J. McCarthy to Benefit From Vikings QB Competition
Moreover, Thielen believes that Murray has the edge in this competition right now; the former wide receiver also believes that this scenario benefits McCarthy. The former first-round pick’s back is up against the wall, and he needs to rise to the occasion and show that the Vikings are his team.
“You bring in a guy who has had a ton of success in this league,” Thielen noted. “He has experience, and now it takes the keys away from J.J. McCarthy. He has to go earn it now.
“Last year, he didn’t have to earn it. That’s not his fault, but he didn’t have to earn it. He was handed the keys. Here’s your team. We’ve got a great defense. You’ve got great weapons. Let’s see what happens. Now it’s like, ‘Okay, we have competition.’ He knows from last year what he needs to get better at.
“He knows exactly what he has to do because he had a year to see what he could and couldn’t do, and what he did and didn’t do well. Now he gets to show and prove it in training camp in a competition that forces you to be at your very best because, if you’re not, it’s over.”
Kyler Murray Can Fit Into Kevin O’Connell’s Offense
Meanwhile, when it comes to Murray, Thielen stated in that same segment how the former Cardinals star fits the offense of head coach Kevin O’Connell.
“I had a quick conversation with Kevin and asked a few questions about when Kyler signed,” Thielen added. “The first thing he said made sense to me because, looking back at it now, Kyler actually plays on time more than people think.
“When you go back and watch the tape, you realize he doesn’t automatically start scrambling around and throwing the ball all over the field. If you watch his tape, he throws the ball on time a lot more often. One, two, three, the ball’s out.”
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