Lindsey Young
EAGAN, Minn.Players are one week away from reporting for2025 Vikings Training Camppresented by Omni Viking Lakes Hotel.
The first public practice is scheduled for Saturday, July 26, as part of Back Together Weekend, which is presented by The Salvation Army.
In preparation for the return of football, we started a position-by-position preview of the Vikings with quarterbacks. Rob Kleifield took a look yesterday at wide receivers and tight ends. Up next? Running backs (and fullbacks, of course) and the offensive line.
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CAMP DETAILS
RUNNING BACKS
Roster refresher
Returning starters:RB Aaron Jones, Sr., and FB C.J. Ham
Other returnees:RBs Ty Chandler (reserve in 2024) and Zavier Scott (PS in 2024)
Newcomers:Veteran RB Jordan Mason (acquired from 49ers) and UDFA Tre Stewart
2024 recap:Jones excelled in his first season with the Vikings, rushing for career highs in carries (255) and yards (1,138) before re-signing this spring to stay in Minnesota. The Vikings traded to acquire Mason from the 49ers with the goal of reducing some of the workload for Jones, who turned 30 in December.
3 Key Questions for Vikings Running Backs
1. How will Jones and Mason share the workload?
As noted above, Jones shined for the Vikings last season, starting all 17 games and surpassing 1,000 yards on the ground in his first campaign with Minnesota. He played 700 offensive snaps during the 2024 regular season, and it will be interesting to see how adding Mason will impact Jones’ workload.
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell spoke with media members during NFL League Meetings in early April, and he spoke about Jones’ impact last season as well as how they plan to continue using him and what Mason brings to the table.
“He can be an every-down back; he can be and was a featured part of our offense,” O’Connell said. “We were using him in a way that allowed him to be his most impactful self, which is early-down runs, pass game, he’s got third-down value. I don’t think people give him enough credit for his pass protection, either when we’re dropping back or third downs, but when he has historically had that 1A, 1B backfield structure, he could be a total game-changer every time he touches the ball.
“It was always about bringing Aaron back,” he added.
O’Connell noted watching Mason play for the Niners and seeing “what we were looking for right before our eyes.”
“A heavy runner, slash runner, tough to tackle, gets in space and has burst and explosion to finish runs and also a guy that probably doesn’t get enough credit in his pass protection and every-down versatility,” O’Connell described. “So we really aren’t pigeon-holed into any one particular scheme in the run or pass phases.”
Game plan will likely dictate the divvying of carries, but adding Mason (26) to the mix also allows the Vikings to keep Jones’ 30-year-old legs a fresher should they see the need.
2. Will competition emerge between Chandler & Scott for a roster spot?
It’s safe to say the Vikings are looking to Jones and Mason as their one-two punch in the run game.
Which running back will come behind the duo?
Ty Chandler, whom Minnesota drafted in the fifth round in 2022, has been consistently RB3 as he looks ahead to his fourth pro season. He saw his biggest offensive load in 2023, during which he recorded 461 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 102 carries. The Vikings have primarily used Chandler on special teams, however; last season, he played 153 of the team’s 1,117 offensive snaps (14%) and 146 snaps (32%) on special teams.
Chandler served as the Vikings main kickoff returner in 2024; he took the ball out of the end zone eight times, averaging 25.6 yards per return.
The Vikings signed Zavier Scott last preseason after he was waived by the Colts.
Originally an undrafted free agent signed by Indianapolis in 2023, Scott spent much of that season on the practice squad. He was on the Vikings practice squad all of last season and signed a reserve/future contract in January.
Chandler has the upper hand in experience, but he and Scott will likely each get plenty of reps during training camp and especially the Vikings trio of preseason games. Will Scott make a case for the 53-man roster? We love a good position battle.
3. Where will run game changes show up the most?
With the addition of Mason and depending on how things shake up behind him and Jones on the depth chart, how will the 2025 Vikings run game look different than last season, and where will those changes most show up?
Vikings coaches have a focus on two likely areas: short yardage and red zone situations.
Minnesota totaled 1,855 yards on the ground last season, which ranked 19th in the NFL out of 32 teams. The Vikings had just nine rushing touchdowns, though, which ranked 29th. That number was up from the seven they recorded in 2023 but still has plenty of room to grow. In 2022, Minnesota’s 18 rushing touchdowns tied for seventh-most; could the team get closer to that number this season?
During the 2024 regular season, the Vikings had 211 carries inside the red zone but scored on just eight of those runs. (The ninth rushing touchdown was a 34-yard run by Jones against the Lions.)
The Vikings have brought in Mason and shored up the offensive line’s interior (more on that below), both of which should help in areas the run game has recently been left wanting.
Hopefully, fans will see more “Bank Vault” celebrations from Jones in 2025.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Roster refresher
Returnees:Blake Brandel, Henry Byrd (PS in 2024), Christian Darrisaw, Marcellus Johnson (PS in 2024), Michael Jurgens, Brian O’Neill, Walter Rouse and Leroy Watson IV (PS in 2024)
Newcomers:Veterans Will Fries, Ryan Kelly and Justin Skule; draft pick Donovan Jackson; UDFAs Logan Brown, Zeke Correll, Joe Huber and Vershon Lee
2024 recap:The Vikings offensive line was anchored last season (to start) by tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, with sixth-year center Garrett Bradbury in the middle. Minnesota opted for Blake Brandel at the starting left guard position, and Ed Ingram started out the year at right guard for his third straight season. O’Neill logged grades of 85.9 and 90.9 from analytics site Pro Football Focus twice in the first five weeks, including a career-high 95.1 run-blocking grade against the Jets in London. Darrisaw received a grade of 70.8 or higher in his first five games and a pass-blocking grade of 67 or higher in his first seven. However, the 25-year-old suffered a knee injury against the Rams on Thursday Night Football that unfortunately sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah acted quickly in response to Darrisaw’s injury and executed a trade with Jacksonville to bring LT Cam Robinson to Minnesota during the team’s mini bye. The Vikings experienced some adversity on the line’s interior, but Bradbury and Brandel stayed at center and left guard, respectively, while O’Connell opted to swap in Dalton Risner for Ingram in Week 11.
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3 Key Questions for Vikings Offensive Linemen:
1. Will Darrisaw be ready to go by training camp’s end?
Robinson filled in admirably for Darrisaw last season, but the Vikings didn’t re-sign the rented tackle this spring, anticipating a healthy return by Darrisaw.
Will the big man be ready to go before Week 1?
O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah have both noted impressive progress by Darrisaw, who participated in individual drills during the Vikings first of three minicamp practices. They also have left the door open for taking it slow with their Pro Bowl left tackle.
“Every single day, talk about a guy with laser focus on what’s right in front of him and that can be very difficult when you’re a player coming back from an injury, and a lot of
it is outside of his control. But I can tell you, whatever is in Christian Darrisaw’s control, and maybe more so than most going through an injury like that, he has been phenomenal,” O’Connell told media members at the close of minicamp in June. “We had to get him back around real football players because of where he’s at. That doesn’t mean his timeline has necessarily changed or what we thought.
“All I’ve told Christian is, ‘Let’s worry about that when it’s time to worry about that; all you can control is the here, the now, the present,’ and just continue to set weekly goals that he is crushing in a really positive way,” O’Connell added. “So, I’m super proud of him. I think his teammates have really seen it, and that goes a long way with what C.D. is for our organization.”
2. What impact will Kelly and Fries have in the interior?
The Vikings signing former Colts Will Fries and Ryan Kelly in free agency is one of the splashier offensive line moves (outside of the draft) they’ve made in quite some time.
Fries and Kelly spent the past four seasons together in Indianapolis on a stout Colts offensive line, though both have navigated injuries.
Kelly played 100 percent of offensive snaps in 95 games with the Colts, including in Week 9 against Minnesota last season, before landing on Injured Reserve because of a knee injury that sidelined him until Week 16.
Fries, who turned 27 in April, started 31 of 41 regular-season games for the Colts after joining Indianapolis as a seventh-round pick in 2021. After appearing in three games as a rookie, he started nine of 16 games played in 2022 and all 17 in 2023. He was continuing that role at right guard in 2024 when he suffered a broken tibia in Week 5 at Jacksonville. The injury required season-ending surgery.
Kelly and Fries have proven themselves smart players Kelly has just 16 penalties to his name over 7,703 career snaps who also boast plenty of brawn. Their existing chemistry with one another, plus rapporttheyve already built with ONeilland other returners, should aid in solidifying that camaraderie so important on an offensive line.
Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips spoke last month about the impact of adding a veteran like Kelly at center, particularly as the team prepares for J.J. McCarthy’s first season as the starting QB.
“Besides his playing value, just being an extremely strong and season veteran who’s kind of seen it all, understands what’s happening, really smart football player,” Phillips said of Kelly. “There is a level of having a veteran center with a young quarterback, where the communication from him to J.J., communicating fronts, getting calls out, sometimes even seeing something, ‘Hey, watch this guy over there.’
“He’s been great,” Phillips said. “Love having him here.”
3. Will Jackson earn a starting spot?
The Vikings got their guy during the 2025 NFL Draft, nabbing former Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson with the 24th overall pick.
Jackson was a three-time First-Team All-Big Ten recipient for the Buckeyes and helped them win the 2024 College Football National Championship. He impressed coaches and scouts throughout the pre-draft process and has continued to do so since arriving in Minnesota.
It’s tough to get a great look at offensive linemen during no-contact offseason practices, but O’Connell and Company have liked what they’ve seen thus far.
With Fries expected to man the right guard spot, Brandel and Jackson will duke it out for the left side. Will the first-round pick be earn a role out of the gate?
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
