The second piece in the series looking at positional needs for the Minnesota Vikings focuses on the running back situation for the 2017 NFL season.
One of the biggest issues for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2016 season was the team’s inability to run the football. The Vikings were dead last in rushing yards per game and yards per carry during that time.
To make the situation even more challenging, the team made the tough decision to move on from former NFL Most Valuable Player and face of the franchise Adrian Peterson, which is something that could be strange for fans to see going forward.
However, what is most important is how Minnesota will bounce back from such a bad season running the football and who will be doing the most work. Here is a list of the running backs who are currently on the Minnesota Vikings roster entering the 2017 season:
- Latavius Murray (signed through 2019)
- Jerick McKinnon (signed through 2017)
- C.J. Ham (signed through 2017)
- Bishop Sankey (signed through 2018)
It appears as though the Vikings are going to move from having a featured back to more of a group attack for the 2017 season. Murray and McKinnon should see most of the work in this offense, giving a good combination of power, speed, blocking, and agility.
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Minnesota appears to really like C.J. Ham, as he was brought up to the main roster last season and looked quite good during preseason. He will likely get a longer look during preseason and maybe even be the team’s RB3.
At this point, Sankey should likely be seen as a camp body/practice squad guy who the team is hoping can realize the potential he once showed a the college level.
The biggest story here is that there is no fullback on the roster. Zach Line hasn’t been brought back and there is some doubt as to whether or not the team will even use a full-time fullback since they can use tight end David Morgan or even an extra lineman in that spot if needed.
Fans shouldn’t expect the Minnesota Vikings to pick up another running back in free agency. And while there are rumblings that the team is looking at upgrading the position in the 2017 NFL Draft, there isn’t as huge of a need to do so as many fans may think.
Next: Vikings free agency tracker
However, if a top running back talent falls to the Vikings at any point in the draft, don’t expect Minnesota to pass. They are always looking for long-term answers, and with the question of whether or not Ham will be the RB3 this year, it could be interesting to see just how aggressively the franchise will be to improve this unit.