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Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones was ruled out for the remainder of his team’s matchup with the New Jets on Sunday due to a thigh injury, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Jones left the game in the first quarter, leaving the trio of Ty Chandler, Myles Gaskin and fullback C.J. Ham to handle the running back duties in his stead.
Jones, 29, has had a strong start to his tenure in Minnesota. Coming into Sunday, he had rushed for 321 yards and a touchdown in four games, adding 16 catches for 143 yards and another score.
Against the Jets, he had rushed seven times for 29 yards in the first quarter, adding one catch for 24 yards.
Jones, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, has been part of a new-look offense that also includes Comeback Player of the Year candidate Sam Darnold at quarterback. Those offseason additions, at least thus far, have worked out quite nicely for the Vikings.
“It’s been a blessing to be a Minnesota Viking, and I feel like I made the best decision,” Jones told reporters this past week. “I think this team is really good. We believe in ourselves, so just continue to do that.”
In the event that his injury is a serious one, however, Chandler will be first in line for a bigger workload a tailback. The 26-year-old, in his third season in Minnesota, rushed for 461 yards and three touchdowns last season and caught 21 passes for 159 yards, all career highs.
The 27-year-old Gaskin rushed for a combined 1,196 yards and six touchdowns in the 2020-21 seasons for the Miami Dolphins, but barely saw the field in 2022 for Miami and didn’t register any stats last season in stints for the Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.
As for the 31-year-old Ham, he’s operated primarily as a fullback during his career, a role he’ll likely continue to handle if Jones misses time going forward.