Among three open quarterback battles, the Minnesota Vikings’ competition may be the most predictable in terms of who wins it.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote that the gap between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy “was not close” during OTAs.
Sports Illustrated’s Will Ragatz saw Murray make throws that set him apart from McCarthy in this battle.
“And for the second straight practice that we’ve been allowed to watch, there were enough eye-popping throws from Murray that make it hard to imagine McCarthy having a realistic chance to win this competition,” Ragatz wrote.
Minnesota will likely give McCarthy a chance to compete this summer. With that said, there are conflicting reports about the team’s timeline to name the starter.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported that head coach Kevin O’Connell doesn’t expect to extend this battle “until the end of training camp.”
However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes Murray and McCarthy will battle “right up to the start of the season.”
Based on comments and thoughts from local beat reporters, Murray is the front-runner in this competition, and the Vikings could be ready to name the winner sooner rather than later. Regardless of the timing on the quarterback decision, all signs point to Murray taking snaps under center in Week 1.