Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon is out for the rest of the season with a back injury. The Vikings placed him on season-ending injured reserve on Saturday.
The back injury happened in mid November. McKinnon was lifting weights at the Vikings facility when he hurt his back. After the injury he played in the following two games, but he was inactive for last Sunday’s game. McKinnon will have surgery on his back, which will cause him to be out for eight weeks, but he should be back for the Vikings offseason workouts, according to ESPN.
McKinnon was a third-round pick for the Vikings in this year’s draft. He had been having a good rookie season. He led the Vikings in carries (113), rushing yards (538), and yards per carry (4.8), according to NFL.com. He also had 27 receptions for 135 yards. Among rookie running backs McKinnon ranked third, behind Jeremy Hill and Tre Mason, in rushing yards.
The Vikings will now have Matt Asiata, Joe Banyard, and Ben Tate as their running backs with McKinnon out. They could also use Adrian Peterson if he gets reinstated. The Vikings have activated defensive end Justin Trattou from the practice squad and signed safety Ahmad Dixon to the practice squad.