Demond Claiborne’s path with the Vikings has gone from preseason buzz to a very real roster question.
The rookie running back arrived with plenty of momentum after an impressive training camp, where his speed and athleticism stood out. But once the regular season began, that promise hasn’t shown up in the box score.
Through the first five games, Claiborne played in four, yet he has just six carries for 13 yards and two receptions for eight yards. He has also logged only 18 offensive snaps, a quiet workload that says plenty about how Minnesota views him right now.
Even with Jordan Mason on injured reserve and Aaron Jones Sr. managing a knee injury, Claiborne still hasn’t broken through. He sat out Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, and since then he has yet to top double-digit snaps in any game. His busiest day came in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins, when he played nine snaps, but that still never pushed him into a meaningful offensive role.
The depth chart around him may only get tighter. Mason is expected back from injured reserve now that his thumb has healed, and that should chip away at whatever chances remain for Claiborne.
DeeJay Dallas is also in the mix for RB3 work, which makes the rookie’s opportunities even harder to find. Dallas has the edge in experience with seven years in the league, and he also has a connection to general manager Nolan Teasley from their time in Seattle.
This season, Dallas has played 40 offensive snaps, with three carries for 10 yards and four catches for 34 yards.
At this stage, Minnesota’s decision seems less about playing time and more about roster management. Claiborne looks like a player the Vikings may be keeping around because they don’t want to expose him to waivers or risk losing him from the practice squad. That kind of caution makes sense this early, even if it leaves him in a frustrating spot.
The cleaner move might be to make him inactive on game day until there’s an actual job for him on offense. Right now, dressing him when he has contributed only four special teams snaps and very little on offense doesn’t add up.
Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts could be a turning point. If Claiborne stays buried or wastes the few chances he gets, the Vikings may have to change the way they handle his development.
In Other News...
Vikings Could Catch A Break As Colts Injuries Start Looming
The Colts second injury report of the week gave Minnesota a little more to monitor heading into Sundays game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The reports, which track participation from Wednesday through Friday and note designations like IR-OUT and limited work, showed a handful of Indianapolis starters dealing with availability concerns as the weekend draws closer.
Sauce Gardner, Tyler Warren and Rigoberto Sanchez were among the Colts players who were not on the field Thursday, leaving their status worth watching as the week moves along. Indianapolis did have some players move in the right direction on the report, but with no final game designations out yet, the Vikings still have to wait for the last word before knowing exactly who theyll be facing. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Fans May Have Blamed The Wrong Coach For Last Season
The frustration around last seasons finish still lingers in Minnesota, and it is easy to see why special teams keeps coming up in the discussion. A single kickoff return, along with a handful of other key moments across the year, fed the belief that the Vikings let a playoff spot slip through their hands. But when you zoom out from one play to the broader arc of the season, the blame gets harder to pin on any one coach or unit alone.
Matt Daniels has remained a central figure on that side of the ball, and his work has continued to matter for both special teams and player development. The bigger lesson for the Vikings is that the seasons disappointment was built from more than one breakdown, from quarterback play to coaching decisions to late-game execution, which is why the aftermath still feels unfinished. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert Is Suddenly At Center Of A Chargers Debate
The quarterback market keeps a Minnesota angle in view, even after the Vikings made their own offseason choice by bringing in Kyler Murray and letting Sam Darnold walk. Justin Herbert has been productive across his first six seasons with the Chargers, and the questions around his future have only sharpened the intrigue for teams that are always watching from the edge of a franchise-altering move.
For the Vikings, any Herbert talk is less about immediate need than about the kind of rare opening that can reshape a contender in a hurry. Nothing official has been confirmed, and Los Angeles has given no clear answer on where it stands, but the uncertainty alone is enough to keep Minnesota in the conversation as long as Herbert's status remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]