The Minnesota Vikings have been a seriously underwhelming group this season. After winning 14 games with Sam Darnold last year, it might be hard for them to reach even half of that number with their first-round pick, J.J. McCarthy, in his first full year as a starter.
While McCarthy has been awful individually, he has at least had the support of a solid running attack for most of the year. Between Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones Sr., the team has had a reliable contingent in the backfield. Unfortunately, in Week 16, their two main ball carriers went down with injuries, leaving the roster barren in the running back department.
Minnesota Vikings Running Back Depth Chart
Trying to build off the best game of McCarthy’s young career against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, the Vikings had to be hoping for another solid showing against the two-win New York Giants team.
Unfortunately, early in the first quarter, they lost their starter, Jones, who was taken off the field and into the medical tent before emerging with both ankles taped up. Things took a turn for the worse soon after with the injury to Mason.
According to PFSN’s Offense Impact metric, the Vikings currently have the 28th-ranked offense in the league, and injuries to their running backs will be difficult to deal with
An ankle injury saw him being tended to by the trainers before he had to be carted off the field. With both players questionable to return to the game, it left a gaping hole at the running back spot for the Vikings.
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With Ty Chandler on the injured reserve list and no running backs available on the practice squad either, that realistically leaves just one option for the franchise to rely on.
Zavier Scott
Splitting time at UConn and Maine, Zavier Scott wasn’t a highly touted prospect coming into the league. As a result, he went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft before being picked up by the Indianapolis Colts for their practice squad.
While he did not get to join the official 53-man roster over the course of the year, he did strike the fancy of the Vikings, who signed him to their practice squad in 2024. He wasn’t given a spot on the official roster in his first year with the team.
But after their preseason action in 2025, he was elevated to the roster to shore up the depth of the running back spot. It has thankfully worked out well for Minnesota, who now need him more than ever before.
So far this year, he has just 27 carries to his name, adding 101 rushing yards in those attempts. His best game of the season, however, came in Week 3, when he faced the Cincinnati Bengals, adding 30 rushing yards on eight carries.
