Second Vikings Starter Lands on IR
After an incredibly hot 5-0 start a year ago, the Minnesota Vikings are 1-1, and neither of the two contests has been particularly impressive, outside of a fourth-quarter dominance against the Chicago Bears in Week 1. The following Week 2 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons was quite the disaster, however.
Second Vikings Starter Lands on IR
Some of those struggles can be attributed to injuries, as they are clearly piling up. The latest piece of news involves starting running back Aaron Jones.
Aaron Jones on IR
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared on Tuesday, “Source: Vikings placed RB Aaron Jones on injured reserve due to his hamstring injury. He’s now out a minimum of four weeks.”
Jones suffered the injury in the second half of the season opener. Jordan Mason replaced him for the remainder of the game, which primarily featured J.J. McCarthy attempting to run a passing attack. A stint on short-term IR costs a player at least four games before he can return.
Minnesota’s RB1 will be sidelined for the upcoming meeting with the Bengals, the two games in Europe versus the Steelers and Browns, as well as the Week 7 game against the defending champs, the Eagles, after the bye week.
Jones has rushed for 46 yards this season. His receiving profile is more prolific, with three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. He also caused a big pass interference call in Week 1 that set the Vikings up for a field goal.
The 30-year-old is past the usual age when runners hit a cliff. Although no longer in his prime, he can still play, but his body has not held up in recent years. In 2023, Jones was limited to 11 games, which is why the Packers decided to move on. Last year, he played in all 17, but was limited in a fair amount of them, and he won’t surpass 13 this year.
Jones’ Replacement Is Already Signed
Jones joins Ty Chandler on IR. That leaves the Vikings with only Mason and depth player Zavier Scott on the 53-man roster, and another running back was necessary. The Vikings just did the most predictable move they could and signed free agent Cam Akers to the practice squad.
In each of the last two seasons, the Vikings traded for the veteran and reunited him with Kevin O’Connell, who was his offensive coordinator in Los Angeles.
Akers is not a high-end backup like Mason is, but he’s reliable and can be a nice complementary rusher next to Mason. Last year, in 12 games with the Vikings, he accumulated 349 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He spent the preseason with the Saints but was cut in August. Akers should be expected to be active on Sunday.
The Long Injury List
The injury list got longer with Jones joining the group. J.J. McCarthy will likely miss Sunday’s game with a sprained ankle. It remains to be seen for how long he’ll ultimately be sidelined.
Andrew Van Ginkel and Jeff Okudah suffered concussions in Week 1, Ryan Kelly and Justin Skule in Week 2. They will have to clear the protocol before returning to the field.
Blake Cashman is on IR with a hamstring injury and is the “other” starter on injured reserve next to Jones. He is eligible to return after the bye week, one game sooner than the running back. Harrison Smith and Christian Darrisaw have yet to make their season debuts. Their status going forward is a mystery.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.