2016 Minnesota Vikings positional evaluation: Running backs
By Adam Carlson
Matt Asiata
If Matt Asiata was an inanimate object, he’d be a bowling ball. As soon as the ball is in his hands, he plows forward and picks up any yardage he can. The problem is that there wasn’t a lot of ground for him to travel before he came in contact with an offensive lineman or defensive player.
The most frustrating part of Asiata’s season was how many times the Vikings gave him the ball in goal line or short yardage situations only to have him fail to pick up the necessary distance. The running back started 6 games and finished his season with the lowest yards per carry average in 4 seasons.
Asiata found the end zone 6 times on his 121 carries for 402 yards in the running game. However, a solid amount of yardage came in the passing game, where he caught 32 of his 38 targets for 263 yards and enjoyed his highest yards per reception average of his career while being the team’s pass blocking halfback.
The future is cloudy for Asiata. The Vikings hesitation to sign him back to the team after becoming a free agent means the team likely wants to find a replacement or more effective player, but Asiata’s solid skills could make him an appealing player to bring back on another one-year deal.