The Minnesota Vikings didn’t do much to upgrade the running back position during the offseason, and it’s been a point of contention. ESPN’s Mike Clay called the position the biggest weakness on the Vikings’ roster.

“It was a bit surprising that Minnesota did little to address this position after its running backs finished 30th in both rushing yards and scrimmage yards last season. Aaron Jones Sr. has been solid throughout his career, but he’s entering his age-31 season and ranked dead last among 65 qualified backs in forced missed tackle rate and elusive rating in 2025, per PFF. Jordan Mason is an effective rusher (career 5.1 YPC) but isn’t a receiving option (28 career receptions). Undersized sixth-rounder Demond Claiborne was the team’s only offseason addition of note.”

Criticism of Vikings running back room is off-base

The biggest criticism from Clay about the Vikings’ running back room was not adding enough to make an impact. There’s a small problem with the criticism: how were they supposed to add a lot of talent to the room?

Financially, the Vikings were in a tough space this offseason. They were over the cap by about $46 million and had to make a lot of difficult decisions with multiple cuts and contract restructures. They kept Jones on a paycut, which was smart because the options they had to genuinely improve the room in Travis Etienne Jr. and Kenneth Walker III were too expensive.

Even with just adding Claiborne, the Vikings still have a solid room for the 2026 season, especially with Mason being a potential breakout player with Frank Smith coming into the building. The heavier wide zone approach will be beneficial for both Jones and Mason.

It’s fair to be somewhat disappointed about not adding to the room, but it wasn’t a realistic outcome with how things were structured salary cap wise.