The Vikings officially opened veteran running back Aaron Jones’ 21-day practice window on Tuesday, and there’s a chance for him to play as soon as this Thursday against the Chargers.
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Jones has been out of the lineup since Week 2 with a hamstring injury. It’s not a given that he will suit up on a short week, but it doesn’t sound like it’s out of the realm of possibilities.
“He’s a guy that you don’t really need to get out there and test too much, cause you know, in his rehab and the work he has done on the side fields. He’s a veteran player, he knows what he has to do,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said Tuesday. “He knows what he needs to feel like. We’ll be smart with Aaron, but at the same time, we know he’s here for a reason, and we know what he can bring to our offense.”
“We’ll see how he responds,” O’Connell continued, “because he didn’t play on Sunday, he can do a little bit more, either with the trainers, or side work in conjunction with what he’s doing in the walk-through to mentally prepare where he’ll be at on Thursday.”
Jones had 13 carries for 46 yards in Minnesota’s first two games of the season. He was dynamic last season with more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage and seven total touchdowns, so getting him back in the lineup would be a huge boost for the Vikings’ offense.
If Jones is not able to go on Thursday night, the Vikings will continue to lean on Jordan Mason as the bell-cow back, with rookie Zavier Scott and veteran Cam Akers as backups.
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