https://vikesnow.com/analysis/2026/aaron-jones-most-valuable-trait/

Aaron Jones’ Most Valuable Trait Isn’t Running the Ball

The play that put Jaxson Dart through the concussion protocol on Saturday did not begin with an exceptional pass rush.

It began with a protection mistake.

During the Giants’ preseason opener against the Vikings, running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. drifted toward a route, lost his footing while trying to redirect and could not recover as safety Jay Ward came free. Dart took the hit, went to the sideline for evaluation and returned later in the game.

The sequence was a reminder of a reality that can disappear when evaluating running backs through carries, yards and touchdowns: an explosive runner can help an offense. A reliable pass protector can keep a quarterback healthy and keep an offense functional.

For Aaron Jones, that distinction has shaped his entire career.

When Jones entered the NFL with Green Bay in 2017, he understood he needed to improve in protection. He approached former Eagles All-Pro Brian Westbrook at a charity event during Super Bowl week and asked him how.

Westbrook gave him a simple answer.

“He was like, ‘That’s your mom in the pocket,’” Jones told ESPN. “‘Are you going to let him touch your mom? Are you going to let him hit your mom?’”

Jones laughed at the memory, but the message stayed with him. The running back’s job is not only to gain yards. He also has to identify pressure, understand the protection and make sure a blitzer does not reach the quarterback.

That may be the most important reason Jones remains so difficult to replace in Minnesota’s backfield.

The part of the job that decides trust

Jones is 31. He has missed time with injuries in recent seasons. Jordan Mason is bigger, younger and more explosive between the tackles. The Vikings also drafted Demond Claiborne, whose breakaway speed gives the room an element no other Minnesota back possesses.

The easy conclusion is that Mason will eventually take over as RB1.

He may lead the team in carries and has the profile to do it. Mason ran for 758 yards on 159 attempts last season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and has looked powerful throughout training camp. He gives Minnesota a more physical option than Jones, particularly when the offense wants to attack downhill.

But running back roles are not determined only by first- and second-down carries.

They are also determined by third-and-long, two-minute situations and every passing play in which the quarterback needs time. That is where Jones’ experience and awareness can keep him on the field, even if Mason becomes the more productive pure runner.

The stakes are larger than a missed block on the stat sheet. A free runner can end a drive, change a game or injure the one player an offense cannot truly replace. Teams can rotate running backs, adjust the offensive line and find another receiver. They cannot easily survive losing their quarterback. That is why pass protection is not a minor detail for a running back. It is part of the job that protects an entire season.

Jones explained to ESPN that pass protection has two parts.

“And then it comes to a want-to and a fight,” he said. “Part of it is understanding protection, and the next part is having the willingness to do it.”

The first part can be more difficult than it looks. Running backs must know whether the offensive line is sliding one way, recognize who is unaccounted for and understand whether a defender is actually rushing or disguising coverage. Then, after all of that mental work, the back has to stand in front of a defender who may outweigh him by 50, 75 or even 100 pounds.

The Vikings offered a vivid example last season in their win over Detroit. Brian Flores’ pressure packages repeatedly put Jahmyr Gibbs in protection against Minnesota’s attacking linebackers, including Eric Wilson. Gibbs is one of the league’s most explosive runners in space, but the speed that makes him dangerous with the ball did little when he had to absorb blitzes near the line of scrimmage. Detroit largely turned to David Montgomery on the ground, while Gibbs finished with just 25 yards on nine carries as Minnesota pressured Jared Goff 20 times and sacked him five times.

The lesson was not that Gibbs is a bad player. It was that pass protection asks a different kind of question. A running back can be fast enough to score from anywhere on the field and still become a vulnerable matchup when a defense can force him to block bigger, faster-moving defenders.

The second part is about refusing to lose.

“If you get in there and fight and you hit them first, that negates a lot of their charge,” Jones said. “Now you’re just hand fighting and standing in front instead of this guy hitting you.”

That is why coaches value the skill so much. A running back who cannot protect may still be useful in a specialized role. A running back who can run routes, catch the ball and consistently pick up blitzes can stay on the field in any situation.

Mason’s remaining hurdle

Mason does not have to become Jones to be valuable. The Vikings did not acquire him to copy Jones’ game. They acquired him because his size, power and efficiency give the offense a different answer.

Still, his protection issues from last season cannot be ignored.

According to Pro Football Focus, Mason allowed 11 pressures on 65 pass-blocking snaps in 2025. Among running backs with at least 50 pass-blocking snaps, he ranked near the bottom of the league in both pass-blocking efficiency and overall pass-protection grade.

That does not mean Mason is incapable of improving. Pass protection is teachable, and it often develops with more reps, film study and familiarity with an offense. It is also possible that Minnesota’s revamped offensive line and a clearer role will help him play faster.

But it does mean the competition is more nuanced than Jones versus Mason, old versus young, or shifty versus powerful.

Mason can make a strong case to lead the rushing workload while Jones retains the most trusted role on obvious passing downs. That is not a demotion for either player. It is how a functional backfield should work.

The Vikings listed Jones and Mason as co-starters on their first unofficial depth chart. That may be a temporary August label, but it also reflects the most sensible long-term approach. Jones brings the receiving ability, protection awareness and situational reliability. Mason brings physicality and explosive potential on the ground.

Minnesota can use both without pretending they are the same player.

Claiborne faces the same test

The protection question reaches beyond the top two backs.

Claiborne has already shown why the Vikings were willing to spend a sixth-round pick on him. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash before the draft, reached 23.71 mph at the combine and brings the kind of speed that can change a game with one clean lane.

His preseason debut against the Giants included 12 carries for 34 yards, a 28-yard kickoff return and several moments when his acceleration was obvious, even when New York’s defense kept him from reaching open space.

More quietly, but perhaps more importantly, Claiborne also had some encouraging pass-protection reps.

One good pickup in an August game does not settle the issue. The NFL will test him with blitz looks, late pressure, bigger edge defenders and situations in which one incorrect read can create the type of free runner Ward had against the Giants.

But the rookie has at least shown a willingness to do the work that accompanies his speed.

That will matter in the coming weeks. Jones and Mason have established offensive roles, while Claiborne is competing to make himself active on game days. Special teams can help him do that. So can his return ability. But a rookie running back who earns trust in protection gives a coaching staff another reason to keep him available.

As Jones’ former teammate Brian Westbrook made clear years ago, the quarterback is the investment. Every running back understands the stakes.

Why Jones still matters

Mason may eventually take more of the rushing workload. Claiborne may become the backfield’s most dangerous big-play threat. Both outcomes are possible.

But Jones retains a job neither player can claim simply by running well. Until they prove they can identify pressure, meet it and keep the quarterback clean, the Vikings will continue to trust one of the smallest parts of Jones’ game that carries the largest consequences.

It starts with the ball in their hands. It also starts with keeping it in the quarterback’s hands for just long enough.