The Minnesota Vikings, who already have some issues offensively, will now have to go through the early part of their season without their lead running back.
The Vikings announced on Wednesday that they have placed running back Jordan Mason on injured reserve with a fractured thumb. The move means that Mason will miss the next four games, essentially giving him five weeks to recover as the Vikings will take their bye in Week 6, making him eligible to return for the team’s Week 7 matchup with the Indianapolis
Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Mason led the Vikings in rushing in their 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday with 59 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, including a long of 28. The lead back responsibilities will now fall to Aaron Jones, who had 40 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries against his former team in Week 1.
To fill Mason’s spot on the active roster, the Vikings signed DeeJay Dallas from the practice squad the active roster. Dallas, who did not have a carry against the Packers but did have one catch for one yard, could now serve as Jones’ primary backup given the fact that rookie Demond Claiborne was inactive against Green Bay. He has been primarily a special teamer over the past few seasons for a few different teams.
Dallas’ spot on the practice squad has been filled by veteran Jerome Ford, who was among a group of backs the Vikings worked out earlier in the week. Ford has appeared in 57 games over the past four seasons for the Cleveland Browns but has seen his usage steadily decline over that time. He got just 24 carries for Cleveland last season, but carried the ball 204 times for 813 yards for the Browns back in 2023 and 565 yards on 104 carries in 2024. He had signed a 1-year deal with the Washington Commanders back in March but was waived with an injury settlement in mid-August.
The Vikings also added a member of the league’s International Player Pathway Program to their practice squad, adding safety Maceo Beard-Aigret. Beard-Aigret, a native of Paris, France, spent time in the UFL with the DC Defenders and has also spent time in the Nordic Football League, where he was named their Defensive Player of the Year.
See. . .he’s practically a Viking already!
Because Beard-Aigret is a member of the IPPP, the Vikings get an exemption for him, giving them a seventeenth player on the practice squad.
That should get everyone caught up on all the roster moves the Vikings have made on this Wednesday. If any other news hits the wire, we’ll have it here for you as soon as it comes down.
