The Minnesota Vikings have one of the most explosive running back rooms in the NFL, and now a new candidate may emerge as a lead back. ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote about the Vikings on Wednesday afternoon in his column. He noted that a specific name could be in line to get more carries soon.
Jordan Mason has had an up-and-down season. He only played in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers in week one. He recorded 15 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 3.93 yards per carry. However, injuries have kept him sidelined for the majority of the season. He is expected to work his way back into things, and now it seems like he could be in line for a larger role. Graziano elaborated on this.
“He’ll get a chance to be their lead ball carrier, whether it’s this week or in the weeks to come”
Jordan Mason Has Had This Role Before
Mason has served in this role before with the San Francisco 49ers. Christian McCaffrey missed significant time in 2024. This allowed Mason to step up as the 49ers’ lead ball carrier. He recorded 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns. In addition, he did it efficiently. He averaged 5.15 yards per carry over the span of 12 games.
The running back has had 11 total games as a starter. He has 150 carries for 773 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Again, he has averaged 5.15 yards per carry.
Jordan Mason Taking Bigger Role Benefits Vikings
Mason taking the lead back role for a game would certainly not be a terrible thing for the running back room. Jones has been a bit banged up this season. That has not hampered his production. He suffered a minor knee injury during the fourth quarter of the week two game against the Chicago Bears. He has since fully recovered and has no active injury status.
That being said, giving Jones the opportunity to get a bit of rest and sharing a running back by committee role is certainly not a bad thing. Mason has proven that he can pace a rushing attack for long stretches of time. This will definitely be able to come in handy, particularly in the playoffs. The ground game has been a focal point for the Vikings offense for the entirety of the season, and there is inevitably going to be some wear and tear. Having two capable running backs in Jones and Mason certainly makes life a little bit easier.
It will certainly be interesting to see how much Mason gets in terms of carries. It will also be interesting to see if Mason gets a feature role in this aspect. The Vikings are getting back a key playmaker at the right time,
Vikings’ Running Back Plans Could Be Changing Soon: Report