Day 5 recap of QB competition '26: J.J. McCarthy vs. Kyler Murray
Who will win the starting job for the Sept. 13 opener against Green Bay? The battle is underway.
The Vikings conducted their first training camp practice in pads on Monday, giving Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy an opportunity to play at a quicker pace than they did last week during the acclimation period. After Murray looked like the far better quarterback on Saturday, here’s a look at Monday’s session.
Who went first? McCarthy got the first reps in 11-on-11 but he did it playing with the second-team offense against the first-team defense. Both McCarthy and Murray went 3-for-3 in their first 11-on-11 work.
Murray’s snap count: 20 (17 in 11-on-11, three in 7-on-7)
McCarthy’s snap count: 20 (17 in 11-on-11, three in 7-on-7)
Murray’s unofficial passing stats: 9-for-13, including 6-for-10 in 11-on-11 and 3-for-3 in 7-on-7. For the camp, Murray is 43-for-64, including 33-for-44 in team and 10-for-20 in 7-on-7.
McCarthy’s unofficial passing stats: 7-for-12, including 5-for-9 in 11-on-11 and 2-for-3 in 7-on-7. For the camp, McCarthy is 38-for-56, including 24-for-36 in team and 14-for-20 in 7-on-7.
Under center vs. shotgun: Murray has spent his career playing out of the pistol or shotgun formation, which isn’t how O’Connell usually runs his offense. On Monday, Murray took nine of his 17 snaps out of shotgun in team drills. McCarthy took 10 of his 17 snaps out of shotgun. In the past three full practices, Murray has taken 36 of 59 snaps (61 percent) from shotgun and McCarthy has taken 27 of 54 snaps (50 percent) from under center.
Work with the first-team offense: It was all even. Both quarterbacks got 10 snaps with the first-team offense and 10 with the second team. McCarthy faced the first-team defense three times and Murray faced them twice. On Saturday, Murray received more work with the first-team offense, taking 16 snaps with that unit and seven with the second team. McCarthy got six snaps with the first team and 17 with the second.
McCarthy’s day: Justin Jefferson made a fantastic catch on a McCarthy pass toward the sideline early in team drills, but the QB later missed Jefferson with a 7-on-7 red zone attempt that he threw behind him in the end zone. McCarthy struggled in the 2-minute drill, having a pass for Jordan Addison broken up by Isaiah Rodgers; following that with a pass behind Jeffereson that was broken up by Blake Cashman; and ending the drill with a throw over the middle for Addison that was picked by Byron Murphy Jr. McCarthy spent the 2-minute period working with the first-team offense against the first-team defense.