The Minnesota Vikings know Kyler Murray will start at quarterback, but what they don’t know is whether Kevin O’Connell can build an offense that properly uses him. Naming the 29-year-old Murray over J.J. McCarthy settled the depth chart, but Minnesota’s quarterback choice raises the more important question of how much O’Connell is willing to adjust his system.
O’Connell hasn’t coached a runner like Murray during his time as Minnesota’s head coach. Asking Murray to operate exclusively as a traditional pocket passer would take away one of the traits that has made him difficult to defend.
Minnesota also spent the offseason rebuilding its running game. Those two developments should complement each other. Whether they actually do will say plenty about O’Connell’s adaptability.
Kevin O’Connell must connect Kyler Murray’s mobility to Minnesota’s running game
The Vikings hired Frank Smith as assistant head coach after four seasons as Miami’s offensive coordinator. Smith’s addition to the staff was directly connected to run-game planning, particularly the wide-zone concepts used by Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins.
Miami finished sixth in rushing in 2023 with 2,308 yards and an NFL-best 5.1 yards per attempt, according to the Dolphins’ team site. Minnesota needs some of that efficiency after producing 1,841 rushing yards and 3,208 passing yards last season, per the Vikings’ official statistics.
Smith isn’t Minnesota’s new offensive coordinator. Wes Phillips retains that title, while O’Connell has called plays since arriving in 2022. Smith can redesign the rushing structure, but O’Connell must decide how frequently and creatively to use it.
An encouraging preseason series offered one possible answer. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason split six carries and gained 44 yards while Murray attempted only three passes. That’s far too small a sample to declare the overhaul complete, but the personnel combination deserves a longer look.
Jones is 31 and shouldn’t be treated as a full-volume back. Mason led Minnesota with 758 rushing yards last season and has a legitimate opportunity to overtake Jones. Murray’s threat on zone reads and bootlegs should also slow backside defenders, creating cleaner rushing lanes without requiring him to absorb unnecessary hits.
If Week 1 brings the same static dropback menu and another secondary role for the backs, all eyes should be on O'Connell, not Murray.
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