Vikings running back Mike Boone is listed on the team’s depth chart as the team’s fourth running back behind Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah.
But after two preseason games, it really feels like Boone has leapfrogged Abdullah for the RB3 spot.
In two preseason games, Boone has ran for 136 yards at 5.4 yards per carry and a touchdown. He also has one reception for 45 yards.
“From where he is this moment from back in the spring, the switch didn’t just turn. He’s worked at it,” Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday. “He’s spent some time with Coach [Kennedy] Polamalu, you see him out here in the practice field flying around, and he’s working hard on special teams. Just goes to show you that when you apply yourself and you’re in the meeting room working real hard and out here working hard, good things are going to happen.”
Abdullah, meanwhile, has appeared in just one game, and in that game, he fumbled.
We’ll see if the Vikings keep three or four running backs. With Cook’s injury history, it might not be a surprise to see them keep four.
Financially, Abdullah is due $810,000 and with a dead cap of $45,000.
Boone is due just $570,000.
