DeeJay Dallas (toe) limited on Wednesday

Jones, 31, injured his knee in Week 2 against the Bears and sat out yesterday’s practice. The fact that he is back today puts him on track to play. He will likely be listed as a limited participant, but a full session would be unsurprising. Jones is backed up by rookie RB Demond Claiborne, who would likely handle lead back duties if Jones were to miss time, and receiving specialist RB DeeJay Dallas.

Jones tweaked his knee in the Vikings’ Week 2 win over the Bears. He ultimately played through the issue during the second half and racked up 23 carries for 105 yards. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said he was “pretty sore” after the game. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert added today that Jones playing in Week 3 is “not a sure thing.” Jones simply can’t handle that large of a workload at this point in his career, and the team will likely get DeeJay Dallas and Demond Claiborne more involved this week, even if Jones is able to suit up. If he can’t, those two backs will likely split the backfield.

According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Claiborne and RB DeeJay Dallas will also be “part of the group” that backs up starting RB Aaron Jones with RB Jordan Mason (thumb) on injured reserve. Dallas was active last week, while the team kept Claiborne, the rookie, inactive, so it stands to reason that Dallas could play more snaps than Claiborne. That said, some beat reporters viewed Claiborne favorably this summer. He can be stashed on benches in 12-team leagues to see how things shake out.

That escalated quickly. On Monday, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Mason’s “sore thumb” was being evaluated. Apparently, it had sustained a small fracture, which has now been “fixed,” ostensibly surgically, given O’Connell’s phrasing. Short-term injured reserve placement requires players to miss four games, but the Vikings are on bye in Week 6, so Mason will be eligible to return in Week 7. Mason led the backfield with 15 carries in Week 1, so his absence provides RB Aaron Jones with a touch-count boost. Veteran RB DeeJay Dallas operated as the RB3. Rookie RB Demond Claiborne was inactive last week, but should be active in Week 2 against the Lions. Speculatively stashing him could be worthwhile.

Dallas was the odd man out in the backfield after the signing of Chris Rodriguez, ultimately prompting his release. The team will move forward with Bhayshul Tuten, Rodriguez, and LeQuint Allen atop the depth chart entering the regular season. Also waived or released were LB Yasir Abdullah, QB Joey Aguilar, DT Tommy Akingbesote, DL T.J. Bollers, WR Brady Boyd, WR Chandler Brayboy, LB Amari Burney, OL Jerome Carvin, DE Quindarius Dunnigan, TE Patrick Herbert, CB Preston Hodge, DT Jalen Hunt, OL Ricky Lee, LB Jalen McLeod, OL Timothy McKay, CB Jabbar Muhammed, S Devin Neal Jr., OL Jimto Obidegwu, WR Trebor Peña, S Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, RB J’Mari Taylor, S Trevian Thomas, WR Michael Wortham, OL Kilian Zierer, QB Carter Bradley, DT Kelvie Rose, CB Corey Ballentine, OL Geron Christian Jr., OL Chuma Edoga, WR Tim Jones, QB Nick Mullens, OL Sam Mustipher, LB Baylon Spector, and WR Austin Trammell.

He’ll fill in for Bhayshul Tuten (finger) over the final three games of the season. We’re all looking forward to the legendary Week 18 Deejay Dallas game, should the Jaguars sew up their playoff position to the point where they can rest starters. Well, everyone but LeQuint Allen is, anyway.

This is the second week in a row that the Panthers have made Renfrow a healthy inactive with Jalen Coker back from the IR. Coker will continue to see essentially all the slot snaps, but he has a really tough matchup against Taron Johnson, who is one of the best slot corners in the league.

Hooker, the Lions third-rounder from 2023, couldn’t find a taker for his services on a 53-man roster so he’ll hop aboard the Panthers practice squad. Joining him there will be RB DeeJay Dallas, CB Kevin King, LB Krys Barnes, CB Shemar Bartholomew, OLB Boogie Basham, DE Jared Harrison-Hunte, OL Jarrett Kingston, LB Maz Mwansa, TE Bryce Pierre, WR Ja’seem Reed, CB Mike Reid, DT Sam Roberts, OT Mike Tarquin, S Trevian Thomas and OL Brandon Walton.

The No. 2 back behind Michael Carter with James Conner, Trey Benson and Emari Demercado all sidelined, Dallas mustered two touches in a 47-point Cardinals outburst. Playing on a one-year deal, Dallas seemed to only ever fall down the depth chart, but he was active all 17 games as a special teamer. The third unit is the key to his NFL future.

Dallas appeared in all 17 games for the Seahawks in 2023 but only saw 16 touches. The former fourth-round pick had seen just over 50 touches in each of his previous three NFL seasons. Despite the lack of looks on offense, Dallas remained a core member of the Seahawks’ special teams unit. He served as the team’s top kick and punt returner while also filling other special teams roles. Dallas will remain a special teams ace with the Cardinals but could see his usage on offense rise as well.