Alexander Mattison is back on the workout circuit, and that alone says plenty about where his NFL journey stands right now.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday that the former Minnesota Vikings running back tried out for the Houston Texans. There’s no word yet on whether the Texans will sign him, but the fact that Mattison is getting another look suggests he’s still hanging around for one more shot.
That’s a notable turn for a player who once opened games at U.S. Bank Stadium as Minnesota’s top back. Mattison is only 28, but after a neck injury kept him from playing a snap with the Miami Dolphins last season, his career has been pushed into survival mode.
Mattison’s path since leaving Minnesota has been bumpy. After the Vikings released him in 2024, he spent that season with the Las Vegas Raiders, then signed with Miami shortly after free agency opened in 2025.
In 14 games with the Raiders, including seven starts, he ran for 420 yards and four touchdowns on 132 carries, averaging 3.2 yards per attempt. He also caught 36 passes for 294 yards and another score.
His PFF offensive grade that year ranked 42nd out of 47 qualifying running backs.
His time with the Dolphins never really got started. Mattison showed up in camp and gave Miami fans a little unexpected buzz early on, but his first preseason game in 2025 ended with a neck injury serious enough that he was immediately taken to a nearby hospital.
That’s why Thursday’s tryout with Houston matters. It points to a recovery from an injury that was frightening in the moment and, beyond football, clearly a major health concern.
Mattison’s rise and fall with Minnesota is part of the same story. After the 2022 season, the Vikings moved on from Dalvin Cook and handed Mattison the chance to take over as the lead back. He had spent his first four years in Minnesota as Cook’s primary backup and had handled starting duties well enough in spot duty to earn the opportunity.
The full-time role, though, exposed the difference between a dependable No. 2 and a true RB1. In 16 games for the Vikings in 2023, Mattison rushed for 700 yards and no touchdowns on 180 carries, a 3.9-yard average. Even more damning, he finished with -7 yards on nine rushing attempts inside the opposing five-yard line.
That’s the line the Vikings learned the hard way: Mattison could help as a backup and change-of-pace runner, but he was never built to carry an offense as the lead guy. Now, after the Raiders, the Dolphins, and a neck injury that nearly stopped everything, he’s trying to buy himself one more chance.
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