A bit of quiet IR news, as the Minnesota Vikings placed running back Jordan Mason on IR. Mason suffered a hand injury during the Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. He suffered a small fracture in his thumb that has already been fixed, per coach Kevin O’Connell. He’ll be out for the next four games but should return in Week 6.
That means veteran Aaron Jones looks to be the lone starter in the Vikings’ backfield. Jones produced 63 all-purpose yards in a game in 2025 that Mason missed. We should also expect rookie running back Demond Claiborne to see some action in the short term, along with newly added DeeJay Dallas, with Mason heading to IR. Jones currently ranks as RB28 in PlayerProfiler’s Weekly Rankings and should see the bulk of the work against the Chicago Bears.
Minnesota Vikings rookie running back Demond Claiborne was ...
Minnesota Vikings "executives, coaches, and teammates ...
Minnesota Vikings rookie running back Demond Claiborne was ...
Sixth-round rookie Demond Claiborne is generating early summer buzz in Minnesota and has the potential to make an impact in Year 1. Claiborne enters a shallow, fragile backfield behind an aging, 31-year-old Aaron Jones and a one-dimensional grinder Jordan Mason.
Armed with an above-average College Target Share and a 4.37-second 40-yard dash time, Claiborne possesses the exact athletic profile required to earn touches, and his ceiling becomes uncapped if and when Jones goes down with an injury. Claiborne is currently a smash in the third round of dynasty rookie drafts.
The Minnesota Vikings just added some youth to their backfield at No. 198 by drafting Demond Claiborne, an athlete who showed out at the NFL Combine with a 4.37-second 40-yard dash (93rd-percentile) and a massive 106.8 Speed Score. Claiborne posted a dominant 1,049-yard breakout season and chipped in on special teams with a 26.3 yards per kick return average, proving he possesses the elite “home run” gear and the 91st-percentile burst to erase pursuit angles in Kevin O’Connell’s zone-heavy scheme.
In dynasty formats, Claiborne landed in a spot where he can serve as an elite handcuff, with little upside unless there is an injury to incumbent Aaron Jones.
Demond Claiborne is the biggest name to watch at the RB position at this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl. Claiborne is coming off of his senior season at Wake Forest, where he posted 1047 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns. He is a smaller running back, coming in at 5’9″, 195lbs. Despite his size, he has proved that he can handle a heavy workload. Across 4 years at Wake Forest, he has played 44 out of 47 possible games, including back-to-back seasons with over 200 touches.
Claiborne does an excellent job remaining patient and following his blockers, waiting for a hole to open, and once one does, he explodes to the second level and it’s off to the races. Every time Claiborne is on the field, he will be a threat to rip off a massive touchdown, regardless of field position.
Claiborne is currently #122 on the PFF big board, which would place him in the middle of round 4. At the Shrine Bowl, he will have a legitimate opportunity to be the best offensive weapon on the field and vault himself into day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Author: Nick Del Duca (@TheFFScout_x)
