Tag: Mike Boone

Will Vikings LB Anthony Barr play in Week 3?

The Vikings Pro Bowl linebacker injured his shoulder in Week 2 against the Colts.

The Vikings not only lost Sunday’s game to the Colts, but they also lost linebacker Anthony Barr and third-string running back Mike Boone to injury.

Barr left the game with a shoulder injury and Boone left with a concussion.

With all due respect to Boone, who is a very good backup running back, the main concern for the Vikings is Barr.

Barr hasn’t been great through two weeks (Barr has a Pro Football Focus grade of 48.2 in 2020, the worst mark of his career), but he’s a familiar face on a rather unfamiliar (and unsuccessful) defense.

Having Barr would be big for trying to stop Derrick Henry in Week 3 when the Vikings host the Titans. Then again, it’s not like having Barr has really helped a Vikings’ run defense that has allowed more than 150 rushing yards in two straight weeks.

We’ll know more about Barr’s status after Wednesday’s practice. If Barr isn’t able to go, we’ll see more of Oregon rookie Troy Dye.

The Vikings are also without defensive end Danielle Hunter (neck) for at least one more week.

Vikings have 4 RBs on roster after waiving Tony Brooks-James

In 2019, the Vikings kept four running backs on the roster. Will that continue in 2020?

The Vikings announced Saturday that they have signed linebacker Quentin Poling while waiving running back Tony Brooks-James.

By releasing Brooks-James, who appeared in three games for the Steelers last season, the Vikings have four running backs on the roster: Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah.

It’s worth noting the Vikings also have fullbacks C.J. Ham and Jake Bargas on the roster. Ham is expected to win the job after signing an extension this offseason.

Will the Vikings keep all four running backs on their roster or trim it down to three? Last season, the Vikings entered the season with four running backs active.

If the Vikings were to cut a player, it would probably be Abdullah considering Boone’s late season emergence in 2019.

However, with Cook’s injury history (Cook has missed 19 games in his first three seasons), it might be a safe move to keep four running backs on the roster.

Could the Vikings trade RB Mike Boone?

Boone proved late in the 2019 season that he can play when he’s given the opportunity.

Andrew Erickson over at Pro Football Focus put together one player from each team who could be traded, and what the fantasy ramifications of that trade would be.

Erickson’s pick for the Vikings was third-string running back Mike Boone.

Boone, 25, finished with 148 yards and a touchdown in last year’s season finale against the Bears. Two weeks before that, he ran for 56 yards on 13 carries to go with two touchdowns against the Chargers.

It seems the talent is there. The opportunity, however, is not.

Here’s what Erickson wrote about Boone possibly being traded:

Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison are comfortably entrenched ahead of Boone on the depth chart. Unless Cook’s holdout becomes an issue, Minnesota would likely be happy to welcome trade for Boone. It wouldn’t leave any fantasy impact on the Vikings’ roster but could cause a shakeup on a team Boone moves to.

The question is how much could the Vikings get for a running back when the NFL seems to think running backs are so easy to replace in today’s NFL?

You can check out all the players on Erickson’s list here.

Vikings are well-positioned for life without Dalvin Cook, at least for a bit

On Monday, it was reported that the Pro Bowl running back would hold out if he does not receive a contract to his liking.

Before we get into this, let me first say that the Vikings are certainly better with Dalvin Cook than without.

On Monday, it was reported that the Pro Bowl running back would hold out if he does not receive a contract to his liking.

We know that Cook is what makes Minnesota’s offense click, but we also know that paying a running back big money is a dangerous thing to do. Just talk to the Cardinals and Rams about that.

If Cook were to miss time with the Vikings, Minnesota is actually quite well-positioned. Two years after drafting Cook in the second round of the 2017 draft, the Vikings drafted Alexander Mattison in the third round last year. Mattison was impressive as a rookie, running for 462 yards on 100 carries. The team also has Mike Boone, who ran for 232 yards and three touchdowns in the final three games of the 2019 season.

Ameer Abdullah is also a servicable player when needed.

The Vikings likely didn’t add all this depth because they thought Cook was going to hold out, but instead because Cook missed 17 games in his first two seasons.

Regardless, if the Vikings need to play games without Cook in 2020, things could be worse.

Minnesota Vikings roster analysis: three storylines surrounding the running back position

Minnesota has one of the best running back groups in the league. Here are three storylines to look for during the 2020 season.

When examining the Vikings roster, one of the most fun position groups to look at is running back.

Minnesota has Dalvin Cook, who is coming off a career 2019. The team also has Mike Boone and Alexander Mattison, both of whom are very good as reserves.

A concern for Cook has been his health in the past. He’s missed 19 games in his three-year NFL career. Though when he’s been on the field, he’s been good. I wrote about Cook and the Vikings possibly extending him earlier in the offseason here.

The running back position will likely be a key fixture in Gary Kubiak’s offense for 2020. Here are three things to watch surrounding the position group:

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Bleacher Report predicts RB Mike Boone will be breakout player for Vikings

Do you think Mike Boone is going to have a breakout season?

Bleacher Report suggested a breakout player on each team in the NFL. The outlet’s pick for the Vikings is something of a surprise.

Bleacher Report thinks that Minnesota’s breakout player for 2020-21 will be running back Mike Boone.

It had this to say about the pick:

“Even though Mike Boone is behind Dalvin Cook on the Minnesota Vikings depth chart, he’ll have an opportunity to carve out a much larger role in the backfield.

Entering his third season with the Vikings, Boone saw limited action in 2019 but made the most of his touches. He carried the ball just 49 times but ran for 273 yards and three touchdowns, averaging an impressive 5.6 yards per carry.”

An interesting choice to say the least, considering Cook is still on the team. But maybe the Vikings shy even more away from passing with offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, who took the place of Kevin Stefanski. I still think the breakout player will likely be someone else besides Boone.

Vikings RB Mike Boone named to PFF’s Week 17 Team of the Week

Boone ran for 148 yards on 17 carries to go with a touchdown

Vikings running back Mike Boone made Pro Football Focus’ Week 17 Team of the Week after rushing for 148 yards on 17 carries to go with a touchdown. He also had two catches for 12 yards.

Here’s what PFF wrote about Boone:

With Dalvin Cook out, Boone stepped up to the plate and got the job done in Week 17 for the Vikings run game. In addition to being the highest-graded back of the week, Boone was also the only one to have multiple rushes of 40 or more yards.

Boone was the only Viking to make the team. In relief duty of Cook and Alexander Mattison, Boone certainly looked like he deserves a spot in a running back rotation. Will that be the Vikings in 2020? We’ll see. Boone is under contract, but with Cook and Mattison ahead of him on the depth chart, those opportunitues will be limited.

Mike Boone could probably be a backup RB in 2020

Boon ran for 148 yards on just 17 carries to go with a touchdown in Week 17 against the Bears.

The Vikings’ game against the Bears on Sunday didn’t mean anything for the team considering they were already locked in as the sixth seed, but don’t tell that to running back Mike Boone.

While Boone fumbled in the first quarter, the second-year running back also had 148 yards on just 17 carries to go with a touchdown.

While the Vikings were playing the majority of their backups, the Bears were not, which makes this performance all that more impressive.

Boone ran for just 28 yards on 11 carries last week, but on the season, he now has 49 rushes for 273 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and three touchdowns.

Boone is just 24 years old. While the Vikings have both Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison at running back, Boone has proven he deserves to get carries in the league

The Vikings have Boone under contract for 2020 for just $660,000. With Cook’s injury history, it would probably be a good idea for Minnesota to keep Boone on the roster, even though he could probably do more elsewhere.

Vikings fall to Bears in competitive Week 17 game with no playoff implications

The Week 17 contest between the Vikings and Bears didn’t mean anything as far as the playoffs were concerned.

The Week 17 contest between the Vikings and Bears didn’t mean anything as far as the playoffs were concerned. Minnesota was locked in as the sixth seed, while Chicago had already been eliminated from the playoffs.

That didn’t stop it from being a fun and competitive game, though. The Vikings rested nearly all their starters, including Kirk Cousins, and fell 21-19 on a last-second kick from Chicago’s Eddie Pineiro.

Sean Mannion got the start for the Vikings and was mostly unremarkable, throwing for just 126 yards to go with two interceptions (although, one was off the hands of Mike Boone).

Boone was solid for the Vikings, rushing for 148 yards and a touchdown. He was responsible for Mannion’s only interception and also fumbled early in the game.

Kicker Dan Bailey drilled all four of his field-goal attempts and will have a nice little $1 million bonus headed his way.

The Vikings end the 2019 season with a 10-6 record and will play on the road in the wild card round. We’re just not sure who they’ll face yet.

WATCH: Bears LB Nick Kwiatkoski drops Vikings RB Mike Boone for a safety

Even though they’re facing mostly backups, the Bears defense came to play against the Vikings for their final game of the 2019 season.

Even though they’re facing mostly backups, the Chicago Bears defense came to play against the Minnesota Vikings for their final game of the 2019 season. After causing two turnovers in the first quarter, the Bear defense continued their strong play in the second quarter by scoring a safety.

After punter Pat O’Donnell and safety Deon Bush downed the Vikings at their own 1-yard line, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski stopped Vikings running back Mike Boone in his tracks while still in the endzone, dropping him for the safety.

It’s been a rough day for Boone, who was responsible for each of the two turnovers prior to the safety when he fumbled on the Vikings opening possession and had a ball bounce off his hands for an interception on the next series.

For the Bears, it’s their first safety of the season. Nearing the end of the first half, they lead Minnesota 11-3.

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