{"id":901375,"date":"2026-05-26T03:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T03:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/901375\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T03:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T03:00:21","slug":"vikings-qb-room-named-one-of-the-worst-in-nfl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/901375\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings QB Room Named One of the Worst in NFL"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are excited about the Minnesota Vikings<\/a>\u2019 quarterback changes in 2026, mainly the addition of Kyler Murray<\/a>, CBS Sports does not share your enthusiasm. That website ranked Minnesota\u2019s quarterback group as the NFL\u2019s seventh-worst heading into the summer.<\/p>\n

Minnesota\u2019s quarterback group has risk, but calling it one of the league\u2019s worst feels premature.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the latest evidence to suggest that Murray\u2019s stock is at its lowest.<\/p>\n

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Murray\u2019s Track Record Makes the Ranking Hard to Defend<\/p>\n

Seventh-worst? Really?<\/p>\n

\"KylerArizona Cardinals<\/a> quarterback Kyler Murray (1) looks on during action against the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> on Dec. 31, 2023 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia<\/a>, Pennsylvania. Murray continued his return from injury late in the season while Arizona evaluated its long-term direction at quarterback entering another pivotal offseason for the franchise. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

CBS Sports: Vikings QB Room Isn\u2019t Good<\/p>\n

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports decided seventh-worst for the Vikings\u2019 QB room ranking, explaining<\/a>, \u201cOne would think the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 signing of two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kyler Murray would keep them off this list, but that\u2019s not the case. Murray earned his Pro Bowl selections in 2020 and 2021. That\u2019s a lifetime ago in NFL years. From 2022 to 2025, Murray missed 30 of his possible 68 games.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the five games Murray played for the Cardinals in 2025, he averaged a career low 227.0 total yards per game. Recent first-round pick J.J. McCarthy<\/a> was the worst quarterback in the NFL in 2025, which sparked the signing of Murray. McCarthy\u2019s performance was simply incredible considering the offensive ecosystem under 2024 Coach of the Year Kevin O\u2019Connell<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Murray is in town on a contract worth $1.3 million. The Cardinals are paying him to play for the Vikings.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite an electrifying supporting cast, McCarthy ranked dead last in the league in completion percentage (57.6%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (11-12), and passer rating (72.6). Murray could rediscover his early career form with Minnesota,\u201d Podell continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cMurray is one of just four players in NFL history with 20,000-plus passing yards (20,460) and 30-plus rushing touchdowns (32) through his first seven seasons, joining Josh Allen<\/a>, Cam Newton<\/a> and Lamar Jackson<\/a>. Week 1 starter: Kyler Murray.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Faith in Murray, McCarthy, and Wentz<\/p>\n

Vikings fans are enthused about this year\u2019s quarterback trio, primarily because the franchise finished 2025 with a 9-8 record, despite posting the NFL\u2019s fifth-worst quarterback performance per Dropback EPA\/Play<\/a>. Adding Murray feels like a serious remedy to an even graver malady.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s just that the NFL populace doesn\u2019t agree yet. It has to see Murray thrive in Minnesota to believe it. After all, a team as lowly as the Arizona Cardinals<\/a> got rid of Murray in favor of Jacoby Brissett<\/a> and Carson Beck<\/a>. That\u2019s pretty damning.<\/p>\n

Minnesota now has a quarterback with something to prove in Murray, a man with upside in the 23-year-old McCarthy, and a gritty veteran named Wentz in case the other two flounder or get hurt.<\/p>\n

The Sam Darnold<\/a> Lesson<\/p>\n

In 2024, the Vikings signed Darnold from free agency, and fans groaned. The club was really going to embark on the Kirk Cousins<\/a> afterlife with Darnold, who was certifiably the butt of jokes at the time? Indeed, they were.<\/p>\n

\"J.J.Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy shares a postgame moment with Washington Commanders<\/a> quarterback Marcus Mariota<\/a> following the final whistle on Dec. 7, 2025 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The exchange paired Minnesota\u2019s young franchise passer with a veteran quarterback frequently connected to offseason rumors and backup speculation. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

That offseason, though, Minnesota knew what it was doing, even if folks groused when Darnold signed on the Vikings\u2019 dotted line. He\u2019d later post 35 touchdowns in Minnesota, fully reclaimed his career, and after the Vikings were done with him, he went on to win a Super Bowl with the 2025 Seattle Seahawks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Compared to Darnold, Murray starts his post-Cardinals adventure with much more proven production. Murray isn\u2019t a punchline like Darnold was two years ago. Perhaps it\u2019s not the best time to write off the Vikings\u2019 decision-makers<\/a> before seeing Murray\u2019s time unfold. If they struck oil with Darnold for a season, there\u2019s no reason to believe Murray can\u2019t achieve the same outcome.<\/p>\n

Browns<\/a> Take the Cake as the Worst<\/p>\n

Who has the quarterback situation in football? That\u2019s the Cleveland Browns, says Podell.<\/p>\n

He wrote, \u201cThere is no quarterback room more chaotic than that of the Cleveland Browns. There\u2019s the husk of Deshaun Watson<\/a>, a quarterback who tore his Achilles in 2023 and once more in his rehab process in 2024, set to enter the final season of his five-year, $230 million fully-guaranteed contract in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThen you have the lightning rod that is 2025 fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders<\/a>, the son of Deion. Despite being blitzed on 24% of his dropbacks since his NFL debut in Week 11, Sanders faced pressure on 51% of his dropbacks, the highest such rate in the league. Dillon Gabriel<\/a>, a 2025 third-round pick, started in Weeks 5-11 for the Browns.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CarsonMinnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz<\/a> (11) runs with the football during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 19, 2025 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Wentz used his mobility to extend plays as Minnesota\u2019s offense searched for momentum during a matchup against one of the NFC\u2019s top contenders. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

All signs point to Watson starting for Cleveland in September.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, there\u2019s 2026 sixth-round pick Taylen Green<\/a>, a player with so much athletic potential that fans are begging him to switch to wide receiver. It\u2019s the final year of Watson\u2019s contract, and if he can still move around after two Achilles tears, he\u2019s the quarterback who has experienced the most NFL success with three Pro Bowl selections,\u201d Podell concluded.<\/p>\n

The Vikings\u2019 first regular season game is less than 16 weeks away, when Murray can deconstruct the CBS Sports narrative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you are excited about the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 quarterback changes in 2026, mainly the addition of Kyler Murray,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":901376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[390,86,7571,2037,1763,3244,563,1033,7,1519,7523,872,294,4827,895,9737,11695,233,259,2529,6,242,109,1257,1878,261,17,20703,234,111],"class_list":["post-901375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-minnesota-vikings","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-browns","tag-cam-newton","tag-carson-beck","tag-carson-wentz","tag-cbs-sports","tag-deshaun-watson","tag-dillon-gabriel","tag-football","tag-j-j-mccarthy","tag-jacoby-brissett","tag-josh-allen","tag-kirk-cousins","tag-kyler-murray","tag-lamar-jackson","tag-mandatory-credit","tag-marcus-mariota","tag-minnesota","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-minnesotavikings","tag-nfl","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-eagles","tag-quarterback","tag-sam-darnold","tag-seattle-seahawks","tag-shedeur-sanders","tag-taylen-green","tag-vikings","tag-washington-commanders"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116638647902399870","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=901375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/901376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=901375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=901375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=901375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}