Kyler Murray’s status for the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 2 game against the Chicago Bears remains uncertain as the quarterback continues working through the NFL’s concussion protocol. Murray returned to practice on Wednesday on a limited basis after suffering a concussion during Minnesota’s season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
The Vikings are taking a cautious approach with their starting quarterback and are allowing the medical staff to guide the process. Head coach Kevin O’Connell made it clear that Minnesota is evaluating Murray one step at a time rather than making an early decision about whether he will be ready for Sunday’s game.
There is also some reason for optimism. Murray entered the season as the Vikings’ starting quarterback after winning the job, meaning he accumulated plenty of practice repetitions with the offense before the injury. That experience could be valuable if he is eventually cleared to return against Chicago.
Kevin O’Connell explains Kyler Murray’s progress
Kevin O’Connell was asked about Kyler Murray’s current status and explained that the quarterback remains in the concussion protocol. The Vikings coach emphasized that the medical team will continue to determine how the situation develops while the team evaluates Murray’s limited participation.
“He’s working through the protocol. We’ll see how he responds and continue to rely on the medical folks in that regard. The good thing is the amount of reps he got from competing and then being named the starter. He’s got a lot of reps logged away. We’re really taking it period by period as far as the plan we have, but we want to be monitoring how he’s doing from a standpoint of that limited participation. It’s a little bit more of a vague thing at the QB position just because they’re in red jerseys anyway. So, we’ll kind of just deal with it as it comes to us.”
That last point is particularly relevant because quarterback participation can be difficult to evaluate during a limited practice. With quarterbacks wearing non-contact jerseys, simply seeing Murray on the field does not necessarily reveal how close he is to being fully ready for game action.
For now, Minnesota is therefore taking a measured approach. Murray’s response to each practice session will matter, while the medical staff will ultimately determine whether he can advance through the concussion protocol.
Kyler Murray’s status for Vikings vs Bears
The Vikings still have several days to determine whether Kyler Murray can be cleared for Sunday. His limited participation has at least kept the possibility of a return open, but O’Connell’s comments show that Minnesota is not treating his practice appearance as confirmation that he will play.
The fact that Murray already has extensive repetitions with the starting offense could help the Vikings if he is cleared. He spent the offseason competing for the starting job and had already built familiarity with the offense and his teammates before the concussion interrupted his debut.
If Murray cannot return, Carson Wentz would remain the alternative after taking over against Green Bay. But for now, the Vikings are continuing to monitor their starting quarterback period by period and waiting to see how his body responds as he moves through the concussion protocol.
