The Minnesota Vikings have bragged about their revamped running game all summer, but it may have been a disappointment in the Week 1 victory over the Green Bay Packers. While Kevin O’Connell ran the ball 34 times, the Vikings only managed 3.1 yards per carry, and to make matters worse, Jordan Mason suffered a thumb injury late in the game.
O’Connell described Mason’s thumb as sore on Monday, but it appeared to be something worse when the Vikings worked out three running backs on Tuesday. Those concerns were validated on Wednesday when the Vikings placed Mason on injured reserve with a fractured thumb, sidelining Mason through the next four games and the team’s Week 6 bye.
The news leaves a big hole in the Vikings backfield, but it also opens opportunities behind him, giving the breakthrough Demond Claiborne needs to realize his potential.
Demond Claiborne could bring an explosive element to the Minnesota Vikings' running game
Claiborne was a sixth-round pick by the Vikings in April’s draft, but the first thing they’ll tell you is that he has first-round speed. The Wake Forest product ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at this year’s scouting combine, and Aaron Jones compared the rookie’s burst to Detroit Lions star running back Jahmyr Gibbs during minicamp.
In addition, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler called Claiborne “a Diet De’Von Achane” in his annual scouting guide, “The Beast.” That comparison set Vikings fans' antennae, who saw former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith revise the scheme after he was hired as assistant head coach this spring, and some believed that Claiborne could have a big impact.
Unfortunately, Claiborne stumbled out of the gate. According to Pro Football Focus, Claiborne carried the ball 28 times for 73 yards during the Vikings' three preseason games. In addition, the rookie showed the sturdiness of a wet napkin, averaging 1.93 yards after contact on those carries.
Claiborne’s ball security, which led to five fumbles during his final year at Wake Forest, and his pass protection were also big questions coming into the NFL, making him more of a project than his speed suggests. As the regular season approached, skepticism grew louder about his Week 1 readiness. As a result, Claiborne made the 53-man roster but was inactive for the Vikings’ season opener against the Packers, and now he has a big chance to validate the summer hype.
Still, if everything goes right, Claiborne can be an impact player. Over his final two seasons in college, Claiborne ran for 1,956 yards and 21 touchdowns while also catching 51 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, the speedster ripped off 69 runs of 10 yards or more over his four seasons at Wake Forest and added 34 breakaway runs, which PFF defines as designed runs of 15 yards or more.
Another note: Claiborne’s 12 breakaway runs last season were nearly as many as Jones and Mason combined last season (14). While the competition is obviously stiffer in the NFL, it also shows Claiborne's raw talent and his ability to seize opportunities and run with them.
Kevin O’Connell could unlock Claiborne’s speed with more wide-zone opportunities vs. Chicago Bears
The biggest way that Claiborne can make an impact is by ripping off explosive runs. While O’Connell values Jones’s veteran presence and experience in the Vikings’ offense, it only takes one hole for Claiborne to slip through and create a big play.
It may also be that Claiborne’s preseason struggles were part of a conservative gameplan. With back-to-back divisional games to open the year, the Vikings were tight-lipped about what their new running game would consist of during training camp and it could give Claiborne some wide-zone opportunities to use his speed to get to the edge.
If you’re looking for fantasy football advice, Jones will see most of the workload. But at age 32, he’ll also need someone to spell him and provide the burst that he no longer has at this stage of his career.
The Vikings added DeeJay Dallas to the 53-man roster and signed Jerome Ford to the practice squad as a result of Mason’s injury. But it could also give Claiborne the chance that he’s different from other promising burners such as Ty Chandler and DeWayne McBride.
If he’s on the active roster against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, it could only take one carry to put his early struggles behind him and perhaps be the spark the Vikings’ running game was missing against the Packers.
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