Kyler Murray Camp Update — August 31: One Exhibition Drive Into Week One
2026 NFL Season · Monday, Aug 31
Minnesota rested its starters in the preseason finale and the quarterbacking went to Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer, so Kyler Murray goes to Week One on the one exhibition drive our last episode logged. The room behind him kept moving: four quarterbacks kept Sunday, then Brosmer waived Monday, with J.J. McCarthy hurt and taking third-string reps.
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Kyler Murray goes to Week One on one exhibition drive. That was the open question in our last episode, and it resolved Friday night in Denver, where Minnesota lost the finale 34 to six with Kevin O'Connell and Denver's Sean Payton both opting to rest starters on both sides of the ball, per Craig Peters at the team's website. The Minnesota passing belonged to Carson Wentz — three of four for 15 yards — and Max Brosmer, 20 of 35 for a hundred 66. Murray's name appears nowhere in the game account, and his exhibition file closes where our last episode left it, at one drive.
The room behind him was the week's real churn. Minnesota kept four quarterbacks on the initial 53 announced Sunday — Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Wentz and Brosmer — per Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk, after O'Connell said Friday, "I don't think it is out of the question that we try to keep all of those guys, but at the same time, we got to do what's best for our team," per Florio. The four-man room lasted one day: Minnesota is waiving Brosmer, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, relayed by Myles Simmons at Pro Football Talk, to open a spot after claiming two offensive linemen off waivers — guard Trevor Keegan and center Nick Samac, per Simmons. As of Monday, the room is Murray, Wentz and McCarthy. McCarthy missed the finale with the ankle he hurt against Baltimore, an injury ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported is not considered long-term, per Pro Football Talk, and he is taking third-string reps behind Murray and Wentz, per Mark Powell at FanSided; O'Connell called him day-to-day and declined to confirm him as Murray's backup, per Florio. Through all of it, Murray is the one quarterback whose status generated no question. The protection in front of him shuffled too — Walter Rouse traded to New England, per Josh Alper at Pro Football Talk, and center Michael Jurgens to injured reserve with a designation to return, per Rob Kleifield at the team's website.
The second half of our watch line — whether the Jefferson and Hockenson connections kept leading the practice file — has no answer, because no practice reporting exists after the Baltimore joint sessions; the file simply stops at the work our last episode charted. The job was the one thing our June preview couldn't underwrite, and cut week hardened it into structure: Murray is Minnesota's starting quarterback, per Myles Simmons at Pro Football Talk, and every quarterback question this week was about the men behind him. The opener is at home against Green Bay on Sunday, September thirteenth, per KSTP. We'll check back when the game plans start counting.
_Data via nflverse._
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