Vikings acquire more depth behind Aaron Jones in recent trade idea

The Minnesota Vikings are in a good place heading into Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season. With a 5-0 record, the team is sitting on top of the NFC North, but still has a few weak areas where they could improve the roster.

One of those areas is at running back where former Green Bay Packers rusher Aaron Jones is having a good year in Kevin O'Connell's offense but injuries and depth are a major concern for the Vikings moving forward.

Vikings acquire more depth behind Aaron Jones in recent trade idea

Nov. 5 is the trade deadline and it could be wise for Minnesota to seek some help at running back. Aaron Jones is dealing with a hip injury while Ty Chandler has struggled to be effective in a backup or rotational role this season.

On Tuesday, CBS Sports NFL analyst Cody Benjamin released an article discussing nine trades that need to happen before the trade deadline. One of those proposed transactions involves the Vikings trading for a running back.

In his article, Benjamin proposes that the Minnesota Vikings send a fifth-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for 24-year-old running back and kick return specialist Dameon Pierce to bolster their run game.

"His combo of size, speed and power would make for a more well-rounded complement to Jones, who's key to Kevin O'Connell's attack but also has an extensive injury history. Anything to keep Sam Darnold comfortable."

- Cody Benjamin - CBS Sports

Benjamin also sees the benefit of this trade for Houston, who has been getting solid results from Cam Akers, Joe Mixon, and Dare Ogunbowale, making Pierce a bit more expendable and getting draft compensation for him tempting.

A former fourth-round pick of the Texans in 2022 out of the University of Florida, Pierce had 939 rushing yards and 165 receiving yards as a rookie but saw his contributions to the team decrease in 2023. This season, the five-foot-ten, 215-pound running back is averaging 5.5 rushing attempts per game for Houston, but getting 8.4 yards per attempt.

Pierce could be an interesting addition to the Minnesota Vikings and become a solid contributor behind Aaron Jones. Typically, many of these proposed trade ideas don't make a lot of sense, but this one from Cody Benjamin is an idea that might actually benefit both the Minnesota Vikings and the Houston Texans in the long run.

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