Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – Vikings fans hoping to get their first look at the team’s new starting quarterback at U.S. Bank Stadium will have to wait a while longer.
Kyler Murray is not expected to play when Minnesota hosts the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, August 22nd, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. It is the Vikings’ only home preseason game and the second of three on the exhibition schedule, meaning Murray’s preseason work may already be finished.
Instead of game snaps, the coaching staff will evaluate Murray during joint practices with the Ravens on Wednesday and Thursday at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan. Those sessions are scripted in advance by coaches from both teams, which gives Minnesota a controlled look at its starter while limiting the injury risk that comes with live exhibition football.
Murray made his Vikings debut in last Saturday’s 13-10 win over the New York Giants. He played only the opening series, completing two of his three pass attempts for 10 yards on a 10-play, 54-yard drive that ended in a 35-yard Will Reichard field goal.
Head Coach Kevin O’Connell named Murray the starter earlier this month, moving 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to backup after McCarthy struggled through 10 starts last season. Murray signed a one-year contract with Minnesota in March following his release by the Arizona Cardinals, who selected him first overall in 2019 and where he made 87 starts across seven seasons.
Sitting Murray on Saturday clears the way for McCarthy and Carson Wentz to split the bulk of the work as they compete for the backup job. Both quarterbacks played well against the Giants.
Keeping Murray on the sideline in August is nothing new. Arizona coaches routinely held him out of exhibition games, and Murray has never thrown or run for a touchdown in a preseason contest.
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
