The Minnesota Vikings are placing running back Aaron Jones on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury after already ruling him out for Sunday’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
Jones, 30, will have to miss at least four games. He started both games for the Vikings (1-1) and has 13 carries for 46 yards and three receptions on four targets for 44 yards and one touchdown. He was injured in the home loss on Sunday night to the Atlanta Falcons.
Running back Jordan Mason is set to start for Minnesota, which already will be without starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy (high ankle sprain).
The Vikings are signing running back Cam Akers, 26, to the practice squad, per the reports, marking his third stop in Minnesota.
Jones started all 17 regular-season games in his first season in Minnesota in 2024 and rushed 255 times for 1,138 yards – both career highs — and five TDs, and caught 51 passes on 62 targets for 408 yards and two scores.
Jones has rushed for 7,124 yards and 50 TDs, and caught 326 passes for 2,528 yards and 21 TDs in 116 regular-season games (104 starts) for the Green Bay Packers (2017-23) and Vikings. He has 559 rushing yards and seven TDs, and 214 receiving yards and one score in eight playoff games (all starts). He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020.
Green Bay selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of UTEP.
The Los Angeles Rams picked Akers in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Florida State and traded him to Minnesota in September 2023. He went on injured reserve in November 2023 and later signed with the Houston Texans, who traded him to the Vikings in October 2024.
Akers signed with the New Orleans Saints in June and was released on Aug. 25.
He has played a total of 18 regular-season games (no starts) in parts of 2023 and 2024 with Minnesota and has 102 carries for 435 yards and two TDs along with 21 catches for 122 yards and two scores.
For his career, Akers has rushed for 2,025 yards and 13 TDs on 502 attempts, and has 52 receptions for 388 yards and four TDs in 53 regular-season games (17 starts) for the Rams (2020-23), Vikings (2023, 2024) and Texans (2024).
