At one point during the offseason it looked like Aaron Jones’ time in Minnesota (and maybe even the league) might be done. That’s now unthinkable, as Jones has had to carry the Vikings’ rushing attack almost single-handedly since Jordan Mason injured his thumb in Week 1.
Aaron Jones Has Been A Warrior Through First Four Games
Jones would have carried a big dead cap hit if the team released him, so instead they agreed to a restructured 1-year contract worth $5.56 million. The idea? Squeeze out what the veteran back has left for what you’d have been on the hook for anyway.
Sharing the workload with the power running of Mason was seen as the way to do that. Mason’s injury threw a spanner in the works and without much depth to the RB room, Jones is suddenly a three-down back again.
Aaron Jones is averaging over 20 touches per game from Weeks 2 to 4, despite landing on the injury report himself in Week 2 with a knee injury. Jones appears to get stronger as he goes.
You have to respect the man for taking a beating as the sole focal point of the Vikings’ rushing attack. It could have been a massive problem for a Vikings offense. The team has struggled to get its passing attack going, with an injury to Justin Jefferson worsening the plight further, but Jones is thriving as a bell cow over these past few weeks.
His season so far shows 72 rushing attempts for 297 yards and a touchdown, as well as 9 catches on 15 targets for 68 yards. His ability as a dual back who is as dangerous through the air as he is on the ground has always been what has made him such a great asset.
Plenty of short passes should be a staple of the Vikings offense as Kyler Murray settles in as the team’s quarterback; the question is how long the Vikings can ask him to rush 20 times a game.
How Long Can Aaron Jones Last?
The concern is that Jones, who has missed multiple games in two of the last three seasons, will eventually break down.
Mason will miss at least one more game, but should return in Week 7 following the Vikings’ bye week. Minnesota has spent the last couple of weeks adding several RBs to the practice squad in an attempt to find a solution to cover for Mason’s absence. DeeJay Dallas is the only one to find any playing time and the case for him to stay with the team is more about his special teams value than anything else.
After a 4-0 start there is inevitable chatter about making a big trade to cement the team’s place as a contender. The Colts’ Jonathan Taylor sees his name thrown out there in some way-too-early fantasy trade ideas. As long as there is no setback for Mason and he returns as early as Week 7, then I don’t expect the Vikings to make any major move. The time for that will be next year’s draft.
Minnesota will ask Jones to carry the load one more time against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Hopefully, he continues to be up to the task, and by the time of the next game against the Indianapolis Colts, Mason will have returned to lighten the workload. Jones himself will probably want to continue being the workhorse with the way he has thrived through the adversity but longer term getting back to the two leading backs will be better for the team.
What we have to do is salute Aaron Jones for the way he has stepped up when his team needed him.