The Vikings’ New RB1 is a Promotion Away
With the impending departure of Aaron Jones, the Vikings’ new RB1 is somewhat of a mystery. Shifting things to the in-house replacement — Jordan Mason — has plenty of merit.
Mason is a sneaky athlete, someone who doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his wiggle (watch him glide horizontally before decisively climbing vertically to see what I mean). More obvious, though, is the physicality and ruggedness. Pushing Mason toward a more prominent job isn’t a bad idea, a legitimate option as the Vikings continue working through free agency.
Jordan Mason as the Vikings’ New RB1
To be sure, there’s plenty of merit in adding a strong RB2. What remains to be seen is whether the excellent backup ends up being someone added in free agency and/or the draft. Likely both.
Looking ahead to the end of April means starting off with Jeremiyah Love. He’s a sensational talent, meaning he’s very unlikely to fall to No. 18. Minnesota’s pivot off of running back could involve looking toward the position on Day 2 or Day 3. Note that Minnesota is working with three picks across the 2nd Round and 3rd Round.
In Mason, the Vikings have a strong enough floor.
He comes in at an imposing 5’11” and 230 pounds. Last season, Mason turned 159 carries into 758 yards and 6 touchdowns. To be sure, that’s a modest workload, but the efficiency is encouraging. Could scaling up the operation involve a minimal — or, better yet, zero — decrease in the yards-per-carry average that finished off at 4.8?
Over the past two seasons, Jordan Mason has played in 28 games while starting 11. Being completely available would have involved 34 games (with the coach deciding on starting status). So, a touch off from being a full-time talent but someone who has been leaned on a decent amount.
A glass-half-full interpretation of those above realities is that there’s not a huge amount of wear and tear on Mr. Mason. Oftentimes, running backs who are coming off the initial four seasons have been through quite a lot of bumps and bruises, but Mason’s on-field opportunities only saw a dramatic increase in 2024.
The Vikings have the luxury of being choosy. Some of the top talents in free agency have already been scooped up (even with Minnesota expressing interest). That’s fine since Jordan Mason is an in-house option who can get promoted.
Backing up Mason is Zavier Scott, who has good size and soft hands. He has the potential to develop into a solid depth piece, but that’s not something that can arrive without meaningful competition. Add more players into the RB room; if Scott overcomes all challengers, then the top backup job is his.
At the very least, those two — Mason and Scott — appear to complement each other well since Mason is the physical runner whereas Scott is more of a pass catcher. That’s a start, reason to be discerning with whoever else gets tossed into the mix.
Jordan Mason is 26 and moving into a contract season. Presumably, he’s working hard and is motivated.
Worst case, the Vikings trade for Cam Akers, the runner who is good enough to acquire every year but not good enough to keep.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
