ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Chances Vikings Trade for Colts QB Daniel Jones

Kyler Murray tweaked his hamstring on the final throws of Minnesota's first loss of the season in Detroit. Carson Wentz has been told he's the starter for Monday night. And according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings' quarterback picture could get even more interesting before Tuesday's trade deadline.

Week to Week, and the Soft Benching Question

Rich asked Fowler on The Rich Eisen Show for the latest on Murray's status. "The Vikings are calling Kyler Murray week to week," Fowler said. "Certainly that has led to some questions about whether this is a soft benching or not."

Fowler compared it to what happened with JJ McCarthy and his various ankle issues, but he was careful not to dismiss the injury. "I'm never going to dispel an injury," he said. "The Vikings are saying he has a sore hamstring. They said it Sunday. So it's not like something they made out of thin air."

Still, the questions are real, especially about what happens if Wentz plays well and moves the offense in a more positive direction.

The Jefferson Signal

Fowler pointed to Justin Jefferson as a sign of where things stood. Last week, Jefferson "made basically the statement by not making any statement at all, which is, I'm not talking to the media," Fowler said. "That said a lot, that they had reached a bit of a tipping point."

As for Murray, Fowler said "it's not like he played terribly, but the fit was always going to be a concern." Murray hadn't been under center very much, and that's a staple of Kevin O'Connell's offense with its play action. The Vikings tried different ways to get him going over the last few weeks, "it just hasn't been quite the fit that they wanted."

Fowler wasn't writing Murray off. "It is a long season. I could certainly see him back out there again," he said.

Is Wentz the Answer?

Wentz, Fowler said, is a backup quarterback at this stage. "He's been a proven commodity in the past, but he's hardly a slam dunk to solve all the Vikings' issues."

Which is why Fowler floated a bigger idea. "I'm not taking it completely off the table that they don't look into a Daniel Jones situation before Tuesday," he said.

Daniel Jones to Minnesota?

Fowler thinks Jones "would probably like to get his way out of Indianapolis at this point if he could," and Minnesota "would be a nice landing strip for him if at all possible."

The obstacle is Indianapolis. The Colts still have to try to get through the season. But Fowler noted they "could play Anthony Richardson and replace Jones if they were to make some sort of move."

He was careful about how firm it is. "That's at least loosely on my radar right now, I should say."