The issues with the Minnesota Vikings' offense, despite a 6-0 start that leaves them as the last unbeaten team in the NFL this season, are manifold.
Through those kinks, running back Aaron Jones was a production pillar with at least 92 yards from scrimmage in all four games Jordan Mason missed, including over 100 yards three times.
Jones has also been battling through a left knee injury for weeks, so Mason's return against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7 was welcome.
Mason stepped in as the RB1, playing 38 snaps to Jones' 15 in the win over the Colts. Jones also exited the game early in the fourth quarter after taking a hit to his injured leg at the end of a run, which has created concern about his status going forward.
When he spoke to reporters on Monday, with Jones' lingering injury in mind, head coach Kevin O'Connell was asked if he felt like there was enough depth at running back "at least for this week."
O'Connell praised what DeeJay Dallas is doing in pass protection and on special teams, while acknowledging rookie Demond Claiborne's "development plan."
O'Connell also said the situation would be discussed with general manager Nolan Teasley, who uses the practice squad like the bench of a fantasy football roster in a 16-team league (which is not a criticism).
Kevin O'Connell doesn't think Aaron Jones' injury situation creates an issue (yet)
O'Connell then got to his bottom line.
"With where Aaron's at and where we feel coming out of the game, don't necessarily see it as a depth issue at all. But obviously things could change as we go day-to-day here."
Claiborne has now been inactive for both games Mason and Jones have played in this season. Over the four games Mason missed, he and Dallas combined for nine carries and 52 offensive snaps.
If Jones is not healthy enough to take a solid share of the backfield work, there are worse things than having to lean on Mason as the lead back.
But it would be nice to have someone who can capably take some of the workload, if only so Mason doesn't wear down. Jones is not up to that physically right now, and he probably won't be for the rest of the season.
Now in his seventh NFL season, Dallas has 127 career carries, with 25 since the start of the 2023 season. And, of course, Claiborne has four games and six carries on his resume right now.
If something happened to Mason, and Jones' knee issue isn't magically healed without a bye week to rest, any attempt to have a balanced offense would go out the window.
Reading between the lines can be a very slippery slope. But O'Connell did use the word "depth" in his response to Seifert's question. As in, Jones' injury, and the ongoing management of it, doesn't necessarily create a depth concern at this point.
But what if depth, as it might be thought of easily, is indeed not a problem that's garnering focus with Jones so clearly banged up?
What if a big move to restack the running back depth chart is on the radar?
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