Vikings place RB Jordan Mason on IR after thumb surgery

The Minnesota Vikings placed running back Jordan Mason on injured reserve after he underwent surgery to repair a fractured thumb, coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday. O'Connell said he did not anticipate Mason's recovery taking longer than four weeks.

It is unclear when Mason suffered the injury, but O'Connell said Mason reported soreness Monday, which led to further examination. Mason led the Vikings with 15 carries for 59 yards in their 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, even though Aaron Jones Sr. got the start.

To fill out their backfield behind Jones, the Vikings promoted veteran running back DeeJay Dallas from the practice squad and signed another veteran, Jerome Ford, to the practice squad. The team also has rookie running back Demond Claiborne on its roster, but he was inactive against the Packers.

Dallas signed with the Vikings on Sept. 2 and played seven snaps against the Packers. He was in training camp this summer with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has carried 22 times over the past three seasons while playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Jaguars. O'Connell said the likeliest scenario is that Dallas will be the primary backup Sunday behind Jones.

"He's a very, very smart player," O'Connell said of Dallas. "The physicality that he plays with on [special] teams shows up in pass pro, and he's got some good instincts and vision and tools as a runner. So to have him available to us here has been big."