The Minnesota Vikings have emphasized a stronger running game to begin the 2026 season, and rookie Demond Claiborne was a big part of their plans.
A sixth-round pick with speed to burn, Claiborne has the skill set to add an explosive element to the Vikings' offense and even drew the praise of offensive coordinator Wes Phillips earlier this week.
“I think he’s learning every snap he gets. Sprinkled him a little bit more this past game, and I think he’s going to grow as we go forward.”
Phillips’s comments represent the praise Claiborne has earned, but the stats haven’t backed it up over his first two career games.
That puts Claiborne in line with the “draft and develop” strategy the Vikings are trying to deploy under Nolan Teasley. But it also has Claiborne looking more like a Diet Ty Chandler than the All-Pro-caliber players he’s been compared to in the early stages of his career.
Demond Claiborne is looking like a “diet” Ty Chandler
Claiborne’s hype began shortly after he was selected by the Vikings in April’s draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler compared him to a “Diet De’Von Achane” in his annual scouting guide, “The Beast,” and Aaron Jones added to the hype by comparing his burst to Detroit Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs.
After posting a time of 4.37-second time in the 40-yard dash, those comparisons seemed accurate, but his physical profile hasn’t translated to early success.
After being inactive for the Vikings’ season-opening win over the Green Bay Packers, Claiborne had a two-yard reception during a Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears.
Claiborne had three carries against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, but he had just one yard on those opportunities, bringing his grand total to three yards on four touches.
The production also came with underlying concerns that helped him fall to the penultimate round of the draft.
Claiborne fumbled five times during his final year at Wake Forest, and with the Vikings’ emphasis on taking care of the football, it could be one reason he’s on the sidelines.
Another is his pass protection, which saw him allow 24 pressures and six sacks on 283 snaps during his four years at Wake Forest, according to PFF.
For a team that loves to throw the ball, picking up blitzes and free pass-rushers is imperative to seeing the field, and it may be something the Vikings are trying to develop behind the scenes.
But perhaps the biggest story is that Claiborne has slammed into defenders like Wile E. Coyote at the first sign of contact.
Claiborne’s most extensive work came when he had 28 carries during the preseason, but he averaged just 1.93 yards after contact, ranking him 102nd out of 120 qualifiers per PFF.
While he’s had a very small sample size during the regular season, that problem hasn’t gone away with four yards after contact on his three carries.
Fans don’t know the true story of what’s happening here, but the Vikings’ actions are speaking louder than their words.
Minnesota added running backs Devin Neal and Audric Estime to their practice squad this week, and there’s a good chance that either back could jump Claiborne on the depth chart with an elevation as soon as Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
It creates a situation similar to former Vikings running back Ty Chandler, whose explosiveness and ability to contribute in the receiving game made him a fifth-round pick in the infamous 2022 draft.
While Chandler posted a similar 40-yard time (4.38 seconds) as Claiborne, his inability to pick up the offense and be a consistent runner kept him buried behind Alexander Mattison and any other running back the Vikings employed in his four years in Minnesota, and Claiborne appears to be headed toward the same fate unless he can figure things out.
Vikings’ running game could take off if Demond Claiborne figures it out
It may not seem like it now, but the Vikings should be banking on Claiborne to get going. Lewis noted the Vikings rank 31st in the NFL this season with five runs of 10 yards or more this season.
While Jones has been a warrior in the workhorse role and has two breakaway runs (designed runs of 15 yards or more) this season per PFF, he may not be able to handle his current workload at 32 years old.
Mason would be another boost to the running game when he’s expected to return from a thumb fracture for a Week 7 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
But while he ranks seventh in yards per carry (4.9) since 2024 and ranked 10th with 3.41 yards after contact last season, he’s not a big-play threat, with just nine breakaway runs on 159 rushing attempts last season.
The result has seen the Vikings rank 10th in rushing attempts (85) this season but 25th in yards per attempt (3.6) after three weeks.
While Kevin O’Connell has shown patience and a commitment to the ground game, Vikings fans also know a few bad runs could lead to the “Air Darnold” or “Justin Jefferson’s down there somewhere” offense.
It could also lead to where Claiborne is now, leading to many comparisons to a “diet” version of All-Pros, only for the Vikings to have no taste for aspartame. It’s only been three weeks, and Claiborne has a lot of time to turn it around.
But if he doesn’t, it could prevent the Vikings from having something they envisioned in their revamped running game.
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