The Vikings’ running game may be getting a bigger seat at the table this year, and one of the early voices pumping up the idea is Aaron Jones.
With former Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith now helping install a wide-zone rushing attack in Minnesota, the team could lean more heavily on the ground game than it has during Kevin O’Connell’s first four seasons. That’s a notable shift for a coach whose offense has usually been defined by the pass, but it also opens the door for a rookie who has already turned heads.
That rookie is Demond Claiborne, a speedy sixth-round pick who may have landed in the right place at the right time. Claiborne ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine in February, yet he still slid to pick No. 198 after four seasons at Wake Forest. The Vikings have other options in the backfield too, including Jordan Mason, Zavier Scott, and Jordan Mims.
Jones, though, sees something in Claiborne.
“You can see it,” running back Aaron Jones Sr. said, via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Right away, just getting in and out of the cuts.
He’s a special back in this league. I get to mentor him up and show him the way.
I told him I want him to be successful, I want to see him go on and get paid and those kinds of things. He’ll be playing in this league as long as he wants to, but just got to lock in here and take care of the business.”
For Minnesota, the bigger picture is still unsettled. O’Connell has built around quarterback play, and the passing game has taken priority.
But a more productive rushing attack would do more than just change the balance of the offense. It could also make the quarterback battle a lot easier for whoever comes out on top.
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