The Minnesota Vikings are "trending toward" starting Carson Wentz at quarterback in their Week 9 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. That could mean a soft benching for Kyler Murray, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 8. Schefter also alluded to a soft benching, saying Minnesota suddenly has a quarterback question.
It's a bold change as the Vikings currently sit atop the stacked NFC North with a 6-1 record. But when healthy, Wentz has played well under Kevin O'Connell's offense. He has far more of a gunslinger mentality, which fits well when you have one of the best groups of pass catchers in the league headlined by superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Wentz made one start when Murray was sidelined earlier this season, finishing with 133 passing yards and three touchdowns. It's a difficult matchup against the Bills in terms of winning, but Buffalo's defense is their weak spot. Should Wentz have a good game, it would be hard to go back to Murray at that point.
Cardinals look right to move on from Kyler Murray
After the Arizona Cardinals moved on, Murray seemed to benefit from a change of scenery in Minnesota. He beat out J.J. McCarthy for the starting quarterback position, with the Vikings even sending McCarthy to the New York Giants. However, at midseason, Murray's stock has been trending downward, as his starting job is now in jeopardy after the switch to Wentz.
As a former No. 1 overall pick, Murray has incredible talent and skill set but isn't quite able to put it all together on the field when it comes to decision-making. He wasn't the entire problem in Arizona, as the Cardinals' quarterback struggles have continued well beyond him, even recently making a switch themselves from Jacoby Brissett to Gardner Minshew II for Week 9.
But the Cardinals also knew Murray ultimately wouldn't be the long-term answer at the position and were better off exploring options elsewhere. That quarterback search continues in Arizona, whether it's Minshew, a switch to rookie Carson Beck later in the season, or a first-round draft investment this offseason.
The Vikings are hoping they found their answer going forward in Wentz. He's in a great position to succeed with that defense, a creative playcaller, and all those weapons at his disposal. It's night and day better than the infrastructure currently in Arizona, which is another reason their quarterback struggles persist.
But even with Murray going from that infrastructure upgrade from Arizona to Minnesota, he still wasn't able to keep that starting role. It's telling that the Vikings are 6-1 and still deciding to experiment with Wentz at quarterback over Murray.
Some of that could be due to the hamstring injury; perhaps there's concern about his mobility or the risk of reinjury. But when healthy, Wentz has looked like the better option in O'Connell's offense. A switch wouldn't have been all that surprising even if Murray wasn't injured.
If Wentz continues to unlock this offense better than Murray, it raises questions about whether the Cardinals' former No. 1 overall pick is even a starting-caliber quarterback in the league anymore. It's a disappointing development after he seemed to fit well with Minnesota early on, but now it appears the Vikings were winning all these games despite Murray.
For the Cardinals, Murray's midseason benching by the Vikings is just further confirmation that they were right to move on. They may have been better off with Murray in the short term, given their own quarterback struggles, but ultimately he wasn't the long-term answer -- and his inability to improve with all the support he has in Minnesota further confirms that.
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