When the Vikings swung a trade with the 49ers to acquire running back Jordan Mason this offseason, they knew they were getting a physical runner and advanced metrics darling who projects as a perfect complement for Aaron Jones in their backfield.
Mason broke out last season with 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns, stepping into a major role when Christian McCaffrey was out. He's got a career mark of 5.3 yards per attempt over three seasons, and the former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech is adept at breaking tackles and getting more than what's blocked.
But he's more than a one-dimensional downhill runner. Mason has only 14 career receptions and had 25 across four years in college, but he caught a bunch of balls over the first couple days of Vikings training camp. That part of his game could be utilized more frequently this season. Wes Phillips, Minnesota's offensive coordinator, called Mason a "really complete player" when asked about his pass-catching ability.
"Jordan, on tape from last year with San Fran, when he got a lot of his (opportunities), there wasn't a lot in the pass game," Phillips said. "He wasn't catching a lot of passes or running a lot of routes out of the backfield. So right off the bat, in the spring, some of the routes we ran, he was really natural catching the ball, but could also stick his foot in the ground and change direction.
"So was really pleased with what we had there. A really complete player. We knew we had a big, physical back, but complete player as far as being able to run routes out of the backfield, catch the ball naturally, and then in pass protection ... I haven't seen any issues thus far."
Coming off a season where he had over 1,500 yards from scrimmage on a career-high 306 touches, Aaron Jones remains the No. 1 running back in Minnesota. But he turns 31 in December, and the Vikings added the 26-year-old Mason because they wanted a legit backfield partner for Jones in order to reduce his workload and keep him fresh. This projects as a possible 1A/1B, 60/40 type of dynamic, with Mason filling the role that A.J. Dillon and Jamaal Williams once did as the power back alongside Jones in the Packers' backfield.
But again, the Vikings seem to view Mason as more than a power back. Even if the two players will be utilized in slightly different ways, it helps the offense's versatility and unpredictability if both players can run between the tackles, run outside the tackles, catch the ball, and pass protect. That's how Kevin O'Connell sees it playing out.
"We feel like we've got, truly, a combination that will cause a lot of problems, between having two great backs that are different body types, maybe different skill sets, but they're complete backs," O'Connell said. "I really see those guys playing off of each other where we can keep them both fresh, keep them both in attack mode when they're in there."
