Vikings place Aaron Jones on injured reserve with hamstring

The Minnesota Vikings placed veteran running back Aaron Jones on injured reserve Tuesday with a hamstring injury, a move that will sideline him for at least four weeks, ESPN reported.

Jones, 30, suffered the injury during Minnesota’s 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night and had five carries for 23 yards before leaving the game. The decision to place him on IR follows head coach Kevin O’Connell’s earlier comments that Jones was "likely down" for next week’s game.

With Jones sidelined, second-year running back Jordan Mason is expected to assume the RB1 role. The Vikings also face additional depth issues in the backfield: third-string runner Ty Chandler is out with a hamstring injury, and Minnesota is expected to sign Cam Akers, who spent parts of the past two seasons with the team, to the practice squad.

The Jones move comes amid a spate of injuries that has already affected other key positions. Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy was ruled out for two to four weeks with a high ankle sprain sustained Sunday, and veteran Carson Wentz will take over the starting role in McCarthy’s absence. The team added veteran Desmond Ridder to fill the backup quarterback slot.

"We’re definitely dealing with some adversity right now, for sure," O’Connell said Monday, summarizing the challenges the roster faces heading into the next stretch of the season.

Jones was a central figure in the Vikings’ offense last season, rushing for a career-high 1,138 yards and totaling seven touchdowns. Through two games this season, his production has been limited; in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears he had 23 rushing yards on eight attempts, and he added 23 yards on five carries in the loss to the Falcons.

The Vikings’ running back injuries complicate preparations for a Week 3 home matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals also suffered a significant blow when star quarterback Joe Burrow was diagnosed with a turf-toe injury Sunday that is expected to sideline him for at least three months.

Minnesota will now rely on Mason and depth additions to handle a heavier workload while the club manages a short-term stretch without both Jones and Chandler. The team must balance game-planning around less experienced ball carriers and maintaining protections for an offense operating with an interim starting quarterback.

The Vikings did not immediately provide a more detailed timetable for Jones’s return beyond the required minimum stay on injured reserve. The club will continue to evaluate his hamstring in the coming weeks and make roster moves as needed to shore up the backfield.