The Minnesota Vikings won on the road in Chicago last weekend without their starting quarterback or their No. 1 running back, but all things being equal, the franchise would certainly prefer to have as many of its top players as possible fully healthy heading into a second consecutive away game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Luckily for the Vikings, quarterback Kyler Murray will be back after a concussion early in Week 1 delayed the start of the grand Minnesota-Murray experiment of 2026. Carson Wentz filled in adequately and helped lead the team two a 2-0 start.
Running back Jordan Mason, the team’s primary rusher of the football, will not return for the contest in Tampa Bay as he continues nursing a thumb fracture. Veteran Aaron Jones Sr. stepped in for Mason and played admirably against the Bears, though banged up his knee in the process.
Jones’ status remained up in the air approximately 48 hours before kickoff, but ESPN’s Kevin Seifert offered a promising update on the RB via X on Friday, September 25.
“RB Aaron Jones (knee) is again practicing today, a good sign for his availability Sunday in Tampa,” Seifert reported. P Brett Thorson (hamstring) was not, meaning it’s likely that Johnny Hekker will do the punting this weekend.
Vikings Could Utilize DeeJay Dallas, Demond Claiborne More Against Bucs Than They Did Versus Bears
Minnesota has taken steps to protect against the possibility that Jones is hampered to some degree and/or can’t go at all against the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon.
The Vikings asked a good bit of Jones on a rainy day in Chicago, handing the soon-to-be 32 year old the football 23 times. He made good, tallying 105 yards, but he also paid for the workload with the injury to his knee.
Minnesota probably doesn’t want to ask Jones to assume so many touches on the ground this week, which means fans could see a bigger dose of DeeJay Dallas. Dallas logged just two carries for eight yards last weekend, as well as one reception for 12 yards on one target.
Sixth-round rookie Demond Claiborne also played in the game, though he did not rush the football at all. Claiborne finished the day with one catch for two yards on one target.
Vikings Signed RB Jaret Patterson With Jordan Mason Still Out Due to Thumb Fracture
The Vikings also added another running back to the fold earlier this week, signing former Los Angeles Chargers player Jaret Patterson on Tuesday.
“The Vikings plan to sign free agent running back Jaret Patterson to the practice squad, per source,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported via X. “Patterson, who was with the Chargers in 2025, provides depth for Minnesota, which is dealing with injuries at running back.”
Vikings RB Aaron Jones Gets Critical Update Ahead of Bucs Showdown