Getty Vikings running back Aaron Jones
The Minnesota Vikings just showed the NFL they can win ugly and away from home by besting the New York Jets in London last week, but the game also exposed a potential weakness in Minnesota’s armor.
That weakness involves the run game, particularly absent starter Aaron Jones who suffered a hip injury that knocked him out of the Week 5 contest early and has left his status questionable moving forward. The ding to Jones couldn’t have come at a better time, as the Vikings enter their bye week and have 14 days to rest the 30-year-old running back before they take the field against the Detroit Lions on October 20.
Backup Ty Chandler has been better than perhaps most expected since he started getting work in place of Alexander Mattison late last season. However, Chandler stumbled against a good Jets defense last Sunday, accumulating just 30 yards on 14 carries.
The subsequent chatter from pundits around the league where Minnesota is concerned has turned toward potential options at running back the team can acquire ahead of the November 5 trade deadline. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports suggested on Tuesday, October 8, that the Vikings pursue third-year player Dameon Pierce of the Houston Texans.
“Aaron Jones has been an electric upgrade in the Vikings’ backfield, but he’s nursing a hip injury and has missed extensive time before,” Benjamin wrote. “Pierce would offer bigger-body depth alongside Ty Chandler.”
Dameon Pierce Has Proven Himself Complete NFL Running Back When Healthy
GettyHouston Texans running back Dameon Pierce.
It’s never a bad idea to have several viable running backs on a roster given the nature of the position and how frequently injuries occur there.
That is doubly true for a team like the Vikings (5-0), one of just two undefeated squads in the NFL along with the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been impressive offensively and are in the driver’s seat to win both the NFC North Division and the entire conference.
The Texans (4-1) selected Pierce in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and he made a splash almost immediately. He finished his rookie campaign with 939 rushing yards and 4 TDs in 13 games played. He also caught 30 passes for 165 receiving yards and a score.
Ankle and hamstring injuries have impacted Pierce’s ability to stay on the field since, as he has missed seven of the last 22 regular-season games since the start of the 2023 campaign. Houston’s acquisition of former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon over the offseason cemented Pierce’s status as the Texans’ No. 2 running back.
Houston may be willing to part with Pierce for a meaningful trade asset, likely a Day 3 pick in 2025, considering the team has secured at least its intermediate future at the position by signing the 28-year-old Mixon to a two-year deal.
Dameon Pierce Trade Represents Minimal Investment on Vikings’ Part
GettyHouston Texans running back Dameon Pierce.
Pierce wouldn’t be an overly costly insurance policy behind Jones/possible upgrade to Chandler.
He is playing in the third season of a four-year, $4.5 million rookie contract. And with a base salary of less than $1 million in 2024, Pierce would be an easy fit under Minnesota’s current salary cap constraints.
The real questions is whether the Texans are willing to part with Pierce given Mixon’s injury history and their other options at the position, as well as what Houston will want in return from the Vikings to do so.
A late-round pick in 2025, or maybe a pick swap somewhere in the middle rounds, feels like the ideal solution that can offer value to both sides. Of course, the Vikings will have other options and could decide to go a different route entirely.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
