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3 Winners From Vikings' 8/11 Training Camp: Offense Humming With Kyler Murray at the Helm

It's not just Kyler Murray who benefited from his first practice as the official QB1.

EAGAN, MN — There was a different energy in the air Tuesday at TCO Performance Center. Maybe it was the announcement that Kyler Murray was officially the starting QB for the Vikings, or maybe it was the fact that it was wide receiver autograph day. We may truly never know. Jokes aside, wideout day is typically the busiest non-night practice of training camp, bringing in an appropriately large crowd for the team’s first day with an established QB depth chart. 

Conversations in the crowd indicated excitement from some and hesitation from others. Several J.J. McCarthy jerseys stood out in the purple-and-white crowd. Once practice kicked off, it seemed Kevin O’Connell had made the right call. The offense flowed with a consistency and purpose we had yet to see while reps were still being split. For the first time, we saw what the 2026 Vikings offense could look like, and it was promising.

Here's one player and two position groups that won the day with a more settled offense.

Kyler Murray

I mean, this one was obvious, right? Murray won the day before he even stepped on the field after O’Connell announced the team was moving forward with him as their starting QB. All he did after was put together one of his better practices of the summer.

Murray was incredibly accurate today, having only one incompletion by my count. He had several significant gains, with impressive plays to Justin Jefferson, Tai Frelton, and Jordan Addison. It was a thing of beauty. 

Compared to Murray’s high-flying performance last Wednesday, this seemed more sustainable, calmer, and more like what you’d see in a real NFL game. Decisiveness and timing were key themes throughout the now-extinct QB competition, and Murray spent Tuesday proving why these assets allowed him to secure the starting gig. While the fanbase works through their feelings on the final QB decision, I hope they find the following to be an encouraging endorsement: If Murray plays like he practiced today, this season will be very fun for the purple and gold. 

Wide receiver room

This one may be cheating, but a day where your QB is on fire tends to make your wideouts look pretty good. Of particular interest is Murray’s connection with Jefferson. The two connected on another big play today, and it's already ripe for debate online. Similar to their big connection last week, Murray seems to have a bit of a “frick it, Jefferson’s down there somewhere” mentality. He just seems willing to throw it up while trusting his top wideout to make a play. So far, it seems to work well. 

Addison has seemingly ramped fully back into the offense after missing time last week with a thumb injury. Felton continues to stack impressive plays, this time snagging a throw from Murray for about 30 yards. Jauan Jennings had a quieter day but made his presence felt as a blocker in the run game, emphasizing the value he brings to the offense in totality. Myles Price also had a nice catch from McCarthy down the right sideline. 

Dontae Fleming, Jeshaun Jones, and Dillon Bell didn’t make as much noise, but are in line for significant playing time this weekend against the Giants. 

Running backs

KOC has often talked about marrying the run and the pass throughout his tenure in Minnesota. Today’s practice showed what that could look like in 2026. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason were running all over the field on Tuesday. The new-look Vikings run scheme is already showing its potential, and I think much of it is still being kept under wraps. Mason did have a fumble, but tight end Josh Oliver was able to recover it. 

Rookie speedster Demond Claiborne also made his presence felt after taking a short pass for a long-distance touchdown. After having some ups and downs early in camp with ball security and drops, it's been good to see Claiborne make more impact on the offense. 

Zavier Scott also had a few nice runs, lowering his shoulder and picking up multiple first downs on the ground. Both Scott and Claiborne are expected to get a significant amount of reps against the Giants on Saturday.