Former Miami Hurricanes running back DeeJay Dallas is back on an NFL active roster.
The Minnesota Vikings signed Dallas to their 53-man roster Wednesday after placing running back Jordan Mason on injured reserve with a thumb injury.
ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter reported the move, writing, “Vikings have placed RB Jordan Mason (thumb) on injured reserve and signed RB DeeJay Dallas to their 53-man roster.”
The promotion gives Dallas a firmer foothold in Minnesota two weeks after he arrived on the practice squad. The Vikings signed the 5-foot-10, 225-pound back Sept. 2, then elevated him for the season opener against Green Bay. Dallas caught one pass for one yard in Minnesota’s 39-22 victory and also worked on special teams.
The timing is notable for a player who has spent much of his career bouncing between offensive snaps and return work. Wednesday also marked Dallas’ 28th birthday. Born Sept. 16, 1998, in Brunswick, Georgia, he remains one of the more durable and versatile backs to come out of Coral Gables in the past decade.
Dallas played three seasons at Miami from 2017 to 2019 and finished with 1,527 rushing yards on 265 carries, a 5.8-yard average, and 17 rushing touchdowns. He added 28 receptions for 317 yards and two scores in 35 games.
His best year came as a junior in 2019, when he rushed for 693 yards and eight touchdowns on 115 carries (6.0 yards per attempt) and caught 14 passes for 140 yards and two more scores in 10 games before a dislocated elbow against FIU ended his season.
Miami named him one of its captains of the year that season. Dallas declared for the 2020 NFL Draft after the campaign and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round, 144th overall.
He spent four seasons in Seattle, then played for Arizona in 2024 and split 2025 between Carolina and Jacksonville. Entering this week, Dallas had appeared in 85 NFL games with 124 carries for 538 yards and four rushing touchdowns, plus 65 receptions for 408 yards and two receiving scores.
Special teams have kept him employed as his rushing workload has shrunk. In 2024 with Arizona, Dallas returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against Buffalo, the first kickoff return score of the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff era. That play remains the signature highlight of his post-Seattle career and is a reminder of why Minnesota valued him as more than an emergency runner.
The Vikings needed depth after Mason, who led Minnesota with 15 carries for 59 yards in Week 1, was ruled out at least four weeks following surgery on a fractured thumb. Coach Kevin O’Connell said Mason’s absence is expected to be short-term. Aaron Jones remains the featured back, with rookie Demond Claiborne also in the mix.
Dallas is positioned as a reliable veteran option on offense and special teams heading into Sunday’s game at Chicago.
O’Connell has already praised Dallas’ football IQ.
“He’s a very, very smart player,” the coach said after the Week 1 win, according to ESPN.
For Hurricanes fans tracking former players, the move is another chapter in a professional career defined by availability. Dallas has now been on five NFL clubs, yet he keeps finding work because he can run, catch and return. Minnesota’s next four games — at Chicago, at Tampa Bay, home against Miami and at New Orleans — will decide how large his role becomes.
A Week 4 home date with the Dolphins would give Dallas a rare chance to face his former college city as an active NFL roster player.
First, he has to hold the job. Mason can return as early as Week 7 after Minnesota’s bye. Until then, the former Hurricane has a roster spot, a defined role and another opportunity to prove he still belongs.
