For many, the Minnesota Vikings’ signing of Kyler Murray signaled a premature end to the team’s quarterback competition.

After all, the former No. 1 overall pick is just two years removed from one of the best seasons of his career and has, at times, flashed MVP-level play. While incumbent starter J.J. McCarthy had his moments in between injuries last year, even the highs haven’t matched Murray at his best.

But head coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t ready to publicly crown anyone yet, even intimating that journeyman Carson Wentz could have a shot at the starting gig.

Still, speaking to the media at the league meeting this week, O’Connell made it clear he thinks highly of Murray.

“I don’t think he’s gotten enough credit for playing in rhythm. Some of those plays — we all recognize some of the highlight reel ability that he has, and Kyler Murray has always had that level of talent,” O’Connell said. “But I think sometimes what we don’t recognize is the 3rd and 7, right before the huge scramble play on the earned first down, but that 3rd and 7 where he hits [Cardinals tight end Trey] McBride away from some tight coverage on routes that are maybe similar to some of the things we’ll do.”

The head coach — widely acknowledged as one of the league’s premier offensive playcallers — also talked about adapting his system to fit Murray’s talents, and vice versa. Murray spent much of his early career operating out of the shotgun, while O’Connell’s passing attack is largely predicated on being under center. O’Connell said adapting his offense for the future of the league — independent of the Murray signing — is one of the reasons he added former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith to the coaching staff this offseason.

“The idea of really being able to apply a lot of different principles in the run game, zone-based principles, gap, pull-based principles, but also doing it out of the gun, offset gun, pistol,” O’Connell said. “Thinking out in front of what might be to come, regardless of who we were fortunate enough to add at the position. But that’s kind of where the league is going anyway.”

McCarthy, still just 23 years old, spent the early part of the offseason working in California, but has since returned to Minnesota, O’Connell said. 

“I think J.J.’s had a really good offseason. I think he’s got perspective now,” O’Connell said. “He definitely has experience. He knows what it’s felt like to go in there and do some things at a really high level, and now it’s just about consistency and it’s about being in a competitive situation, not for necessarily any other reason to continue the arc of trying to become the best player he can possibly become.”

Wentz, meanwhile, earned high marks from the head coach for his ability to operate the offense in a pinch last season despite not joining the team until after training camp.

It all adds up to a quarterback room featuring three former top 10 picks coached by one of the NFL’s preeminent passing game gurus. O’Connell, who, to paraphrase Fergie, has seen QBs come and go like seasons, knows how important that depth is. With that in mind, he said he wants to “prepare all those guys to be able to take snaps and contribute to winning when called upon.”

“We just feel like having the ability to get quality quarterback play throughout the circumstances that we do not control throughout the season — pretty historical data that says we get quarterback play to a certain line, we win a lot of football games,” he said. “So we wanted to ensure that we were able to do that, but also make it a very, very competitive room, and that’s regardless of who’s taking reps with what group.”

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