The Minnesota Vikings are adding running back Devin Neal, according to a report from Jordan Schultz, giving the club another option in a backfield that has already been stretched thin this season.
The move is a modest one on paper, but it fits the moment Minnesota is in: starter Aaron Jones has been playing through a knee issue, Jordan Mason remains on injured reserve, and the remaining depth has not settled into a reliable rotation.
Neal is 23 and only a year removed from being drafted. New Orleans selected him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 184th overall, after a standout career at Kansas.
The Jayhawks product left Lawrence as the program’s all-time leading rusher, posting over 1,200 yards in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024 and finishing with 4,343 rushing yards, 49 rushing touchdowns, and 20 games of 100 yards or more.
Those numbers made him one of the central figures in Kansas’ revival under Lance Leipold, even if NFL evaluators still viewed him as more of a complementary back than a future feature runner.
The Saints signed him to a four-year rookie contract worth about $4.45 million, including a $251,312 signing bonus. Neal made a $840,000 base salary in 2025 and saw meaningful work as a rookie, appearing in 10 games with three starts.
He carried 57 times for 206 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 3.6 yards per attempt, and added 17 receptions for 104 yards. He also returned kicks.
A hamstring injury in Week 15 interrupted the finish of his first season, and New Orleans released him after roster cuts this year. That is how a former draft pick becomes available in late September.
Minnesota’s interest is easier to understand in that context. Jones has absorbed a heavier workload than usual while Mason heals from a thumb injury, and the Vikings have already cycled through extra bodies such as DeeJay Dallas, Demond Claiborne, Jerome Ford, and Jaret Patterson.
Neal is not a proven difference-maker at this level, but he has recent NFL snaps, some receiving ability, and the kind of compact, patient running style that can be useful on a practice squad or as an emergency elevation.
At 5-foot-11 and about 213 pounds, he profiles as a between-the-tackles option who can also handle some third-down work if asked.
Whether this signing becomes more than depth insurance will depend on health around him and how quickly he picks up Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
For now, it is a low-cost addition of a young back who already knows what an NFL week looks like.
If Jones needs rest or Mason’s return is delayed, Neal at least gives Minnesota another name who has carried the ball in regular-season games rather than another untested placeholder.
