Tasking Kyler Murray with being a pocket passer who operates from under center may create some issues. After all, he’s a 5’10” passer who has spent most of his past playing in systems that are different from the Kevin O’Connell scheme.
As a result, Jeff Diamond has advocated for an adjusted approach. Consider what Minnesota’s former GM advised in his piece for VT on how to adjust the play calling to better fit with Murray: “I believe having Murray roll out and run more bootlegs with a run-pass option will help his cause as opposed to always staying in the pocket where his 5’10” height is a disadvantage in trying to throw over tall linemen. But if he runs, he’s got to slide or get out of bounds to avoid big hits.”
Diamond, I’d say, is bang on. But there’s an issue at the very end: needing to avoid injury.
The former GM therefore calls for the passer to slide or get out of bounds, avoiding the sort of tackle that arrived in Week 1 when Murray suffered a concussion. Is it really so simple?
Kyler Murray, KOC, & The MIN Issue
Kevin O’Connell is aware of the issue. In all likelihood, he’s probably the person in the world who is most aware that the Vikings have the worst NFL offense, at least in terms of yards gained.
Too often, the rhythm on offense hasn’t been there.
In fact, the skipper chatted about the problem earlier in the week with the media, albeit in a more roundabout manner. Do the Vikings need to put Kyler Murray in pistol a touch more? O’Connell eventually brought his answer around to this thought: “I think you can adjust and adapt in a lot different ways, but Kyler is a guy that does not want to be — he says it all the time — he likes some of those seven, eight step play actions from under center.”
Diamond and O’Connell — a pair of guys who know far more about football than I — are coming at the issue from different perspectives. Murray is somebody else who knows way more about football than I do, as well.
Who has the correct answer? None, all three, or some combination?
In all likelihood, there’s an elusive sweet spot that involves some form of compromise and balance. Sometimes, Murray does need to lineup under center. Doing so will make the play-action game more potent. And, to be sure, there’s something to be said for the approach, especially if the man himself wants to use the strategy (as O’Connell claims).
But then there’s merit to what Diamond is getting at. Consider, for instance, the potential of a bootleg. That’s an approach that can still work off play action, but it’s a concept that puts Murray out into open space. Plus, the read gets simplified since the quarterback is generally only tasked with reading half the field (often with layered routes that involve the QB’s eyes going from high to low). Seeing everybody covered means tucking and running.
Using Kyler Murray’s speed and agility makes a lot of sense. But then there’s the tough part: exposing him to more risk. How keen are the Vikings to push Kyler away from those five rugged bodyguards known as the offensive line?
Three things are all true at the same time:
- Kyler Murray is unusually small among NFL passers.
- Kyler Murray is unusually quick among NFL passers.
- Kyler Murray has had a lot of injuries in his past, including in 2026.
See the issue?
Mr. Murray isn’t a bad passer. Far from it. What’s still debatable is whether he’s a bad passer for the Kevin O’Connell offense. No doubt, the head coach has plays he can call to get Murray on the move — improving the shorter QB’s ability to see down field — but these plays expose Murray to more hits. Again, see the issue?
All at once, the Vikings are trying to see Kevin O’Connell and Kyler Murray adjust. Both are giving ground for what they’ve done in the past. So far, things have been clunky. Getting all the pieces to fit looks difficult. Putting Murray into space emphasizes his athleticism and helps with his vision but it exposes him to more risk. Keeping him in the pocket keeps him safer but limits his athleticism and tasks with with seeing over the hulking blockers.
Kyler Murray and the Minnesota Vikings host the 0-3 Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Failing to put together a good day on offense is going to make things loud in the Twin Cities.
The 2-0 Murray is completing 52.9% of his passes. So far, he’s up to 186 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions.
Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.
