Not that I would ever be provincial, or a second-guesser, but the Vikings should have drafted Mo Ibrahim.
He would have cost them a seventh-round draft pick that, it appears, they mistakenly spent on DeWayne McBride.
Ibrahim would probably be competing with Ty Chandler to be the backup running back to Alexander Mattison.
Instead, the Vikings have reached the midpoint of their first August since they released Dalvin Cook without amassing respectable running back depth.
When they invited Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis for visits, the presumption of some national analysts and fans seemed to be that the Vikings weren’t happy with Mattison as their new starter.
Mattison is not the problem. He’s a smart, experienced back who knows the offense and can run with power. The only real question mark regarding Mattison is whether he can handle a large workload, and that’s a question every starting running back has to answer.
The Vikings’ real problems at running back begin after Mattison.
Chandler played well in the Vikings’ first preseason game and will be asked to back up that performance Saturday when the Vikings play the Tennessee Titans at U.S. Bank Stadium. Right now Chandler is the backup because he can play running back.
Kene Nwangwu is a talented runner and returner, but this was the camp in which he was going to prove that he could be relied on as a regular in the backfield. His inability to stay healthy in a prove-it training camp led to the Vikings looking elsewhere.
On Thursday, the Vikings signed rookie running back and returner Aaron Dykes, who played at Richmond, to give them some semblance of depth. The guess here is that they will claim the best available running back on waivers when teams pare their rosters Aug. 29.
Ibrahim went undrafted because he doesn’t impress in combine drills and has an injury history. He’s probably not a great fit for the Vikings’ pass-first offense.
He does have this going for him: He knows how to carry a football forward. He was an exceptional college back because he’s one of those runners who has a feel for the game, who can set up his blockers, make the first tackler miss and spin forward for positive yardage.
The Detroit Lions, more of a power-running team, signed Ibrahim as an undrafted free agent. He’s probably a better fit in Detroit than in Minnesota, but Minnesota needs him more.
What the Vikings’ lack of quality depth at running back could mean is job security for their longtime fullback. C.J. Ham does just about everything well, including running with force and catching the ball. If the Vikings don’t have a true pass-receiving back that they trust, they could use Ham on passing downs, either to help protect Kirk Cousins or as a reliable outlet receiver. (This is where Vikings fans are required to make a joke about Cousins throwing short of the sticks on fourth down.)
When the Vikings parted with Cook, who signed with Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, they were adhering to modern NFL thinking. Never overpay for a running back because there are too many other important places to spend your limited money.
That doesn’t mean the position isn’t important.
Mattison will probably be better this season at pass protection in short-yardage situations than Cook was last year, but he likely won’t make as many game-changing big plays. For a passing guru like Kevin O’Connell, that’s a reasonable trade-off. Those who think like O’Connell figure that Cook’s big plays will be replaced by more big plays in the passing game if Cousins gets to face more second-and-6, rather than second-and-10, situations.
Ibrahim rushed four times for 9 yards in the Lions’ first preseason game but has impressed in practices.
He’s the running back version of Vikings rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. He can play the game, but a lack of size and measurable explosiveness kept him from being drafted.
That doesn’t mean he can’t play in the NFL. And it doesn’t mean that the Vikings shouldn’t have drafted him and saved themselves some headaches this August.