Vikings place RB Jordan Mason on injured reserve with fractured thumb, Wednesday, September 16
Minnesota announced Wednesday that running back Jordan Mason underwent surgery to repair a fractured thumb and was placed on injured reserve, sidelining the co-starter for a minimum four games. The Vikings signed running back DeeJay Dallas from their practice squad to the 53-man roster and added Jerome Ford to the practice squad.
According to ESPN's reporting, the Minnesota Vikings placed running back Jordan Mason on injured reserve Wednesday after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured thumb. The placement sidelines one of the team's co-starters for a minimum of four games.
Mason led Minnesota's rushing attack in Sunday's 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers, carrying the ball 15 times for 59 yards and a touchdown. Alongside Aaron Jones, who recorded 12 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown in the same game, Mason has been splitting the Vikings' backfield duties.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell characterized the fracture as small and said the injury has been fixed, per Yahoo's reporting. O'Connell had previously told reporters the player had a sore thumb before the severity of the injury was disclosed.
To address the backfield depth gap, the Vikings signed running back DeeJay Dallas from their practice squad to the 53-man roster and added running back Jerome Ford to the practice squad, according to ESPN. Dallas is a seventh-year NFL veteran who has played sparingly throughout his career with the Seahawks, Cardinals, Panthers and Jaguars, and carries 538 career rushing yards and four touchdowns, per Yahoo's reporting.
Minnesota's offense will now lean more heavily on Aaron Jones as the primary ball carrier. Rookie running back Demond Claiborne, a sixth-round pick, was inactive for Sunday's game against the Packers and has yet to record an NFL touch, according to Yahoo's reporting.
The Vikings face the Chicago Bears on Sunday, followed by contests against the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Saints ahead of their Week 6 bye, per Yahoo's reporting.
Mason, who led the Vikings with 15 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown against Green Bay on Sunday, will miss at least four games, forcing Minnesota to lean more heavily on Aaron Jones.
Mason's four-game minimum absence overlaps with games against division rivals and conference opponents through Week 5. Whether Aaron Jones proves sufficient as a lead back during this stretch, or whether the Vikings pursue additional depth at the position before the trade deadline in early November, will determine whether this injury is a temporary setback or signals deeper backfield vulnerability.
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