Vikings place Jordan Mason on injured reserve due to thumb fracture: Who's up next

The Minnesota Vikings have placed running back Jordan Mason on injured reserve, head coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Wednesday. O'Connell added that the veteran has a small fracture in his thumb and had already undergone a procedure to fix the injury. 

Mason's absence is not expected to be long-term, per O'Connell, but the injured reserve parameters will keep him out for at least the next four games. The 27-year-old will be required to miss Minnesota's Week 2 matchup at the Chicago Bears, Week 3 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 4 at home against the Dolphins, and Week 5 on the road game against the Saints. 

Because the Vikings have a bye in Week 6, Mason can return to the field as early as Week 7, when Minnesota hosts the Indianapolis Colts. 

In the Week 1 win over Green Bay, Mason rushed for 59 yards on 15 carries (both team highs) and scored a rushing touchdown. 

Mason is in his second season with the Vikings after the team acquired him in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers in March 2025. In a complementary role last year, the former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech saw a career-high 159 carries and rushed for 758 yards and six touchdowns. Mason was expected to take on a bigger workload in 2026 (as evident in his team-high 15 carries in Week 1), but the lion's share of touches will now go to veteran Aaron Jones Sr.

Who'll step up in Minnesota's backfield?

As we noted above, Aaron Jones Sr. will now be the key cog in Minnesota's rushing attack. He worked alongside Mason in the Week 1 opener, rushing 12 times for 40 yards and a touchdown. While Jones, 31, is no spring chicken, he has shown the ability to produce at a high level over his career. In 12 games played last season, he averaged 4.2 yards per carry, posting 548 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns. He's also been a factor in the passing game. 

In addition to Jones, the Vikings signed DeeJay Dallas to the 53-man roster and added Jerome Ford to the practice squad. Dallas initially signed with the Vikings' practice squad on Sept. 2. The 2020 fourth-rounder has spent time with Seattle, Arizona, Carolina and Jacksonville over the course of his career. 

"He's a very, very smart player," O'Connell said of Dallas. "The physicality that he plays with on [special] teams shows up in pass pro, and he's got some good instincts, and vision, and tools as a runner. To have him available to us here has been big, and obviously with Jordan's situation, he'll probably see an even more increased role." 

As for Ford, the former fifth-round pick of the Browns spent the summer with the Washington Commanders but was released in mid-August. In 13 games for Cleveland last season, Ford had just 24 carries for 73 yards and caught 26 passes for 103 yards.