Coller's Vikings Mailbag: Is It Time for Demond Claiborne to See the Field?

It's time to answer some burning questions before Week 3's meeting with the Buccaneers.

Sports Illustrated's Matthew Coller is here with his Vikings mailbag, which includes a question about rookie RB Demond Claiborne's playing time. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Vikings are 2-0 and head to Tampa to face the Buccaneers this weekend.

Naturally, Vikings fans have questions about the game and the bigger picture, so let's dive into some questions that are on everyone's mind heading into Week 3 and beyond.

Time to unleash Demond Claiborne?

Do you expect Claiborne to get a run this weekend if Jones doesn't play or do they continue to prioritize vets?

@Ragnarskingdom

The Vikings have been very cautious with rookie running back Demond Claiborne, only playing him for two snaps last week, so I’m not sure they want to put a significant workload on his plate. However, with the situation being what it is, it would make sense to have a few more plays that are designed to get him involved the same way they tried the short pass in the backfield to him last week.

The explanations that we’ve heard for why Claiborne isn’t playing more do make sense.

Wes Phillips went into detail about how different the NFL is when it comes to run scheme than what he had at Wake Forest. At the same time, they need someone who can take some weight off Aaron Jones's shoulders, or he’s not going to make it through these four games. They may have to take somewhat of a leap of faith because playing guys who arrived last week doesn’t seem any better than using an inexperienced rookie. 

Racing to a big moment

What is more likely to happen first: Kyler Murray passing for 300 yards or Harrison Smith to record an INT?

@JTMNskol

It seems like the way that so many teams have started leaning into the run, we don’t see as many 300-yard performances as we used to, but Murray has thrown for 300 yards 15 times in his career, so it’s likely that he’ll get at least one this year.

Under the right conditions, Kyler Murray is more than capable of throwing for 300-plus yards. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We saw Carson Wentz do it twice last season. It’s easy to forget that those were a regular occurrence under head coach Kevin O’Connell in the past. I’m guessing that over the next few weeks Murray is going to have some much higher-volume games than we’ve seen over the last dozen Vikings games or so. They need to get Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison back to being 100-yard threats.  

But if I’m picking between the two, I’d go with a Harrison Smith interception. He’s probably going to start getting more snaps soon, and it’s pretty much a lock, with the aggression from defensive coordinator Brian Flores, that a quarterback will make a mistake and toss it right into his mitts. 

Assessing the offensive line

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the O-line and a reasonable expectation for their peak performance this season?

@ReeveTanner

We can definitely see that the left side of the line is freakishly talented with Christian Darrisaw and Donovan Jackson. Now that they are healthy and have had time working together, they are a serious threat in the run game and very strong in pass protection. There’s no law against just running in one direction over and over, and I might suggest that, for O’Connell, he should put his runners behind those two guys. 

I would argue the Vikings have the best tackle duo in the NFL when Darrisaw and O’Neill are healthy, so that should give Murray a chance to feel safe from top edge rushers. 

The biggest question is whether they can get consistent play from Blake Brandel and Will Fries, especially when they face top-notch defensive tackles. Last week wasn’t an example of that, and they both played well. What happens when they take on Vita Vea? That may be a different story.

The Vikings need to see an improved performance from Blake Brandel moving forward. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The ceiling for this unit is somewhere in the top 10 if Brandel continues to become more comfortable and Fries has more weeks, as he did against the Bears. It might be the best line they’ve had in a long time if everyone stays healthy. 

Potentially drafting an RB early in 2027 NFL Draft

Do you believe Vikings need to draft an RB in either of the first two rounds of the upcoming draft?

@Kjgehl27

We are so far away from the draft that it’s impossible to say whether they will be able to do that. They’re going to have a number of upcoming free agents at key positions, and it might not make sense to use a top pick on a running back. 

At the same time, it depends on the class. If it’s a deep class and you can get a guy in the second or third, then they have to consider it. Or if they keep a lot of the team together and add some free agents, maybe they can draft a running back and not feel like they’re sacrificing something else. 

I do think the idea that you can find running backs anywhere has faded quickly as the NFL has shifted back to running all the time. The best guys who were top draft picks are dominating. If this offense got a Dalvin Cook-level talent, it would be very hard to slow down (with good QB play). 

Back up plan if Kyler Murray struggles

If Kyler looks average, what do the Vikings do next year?

@LakeLevesque

That probably depends on what average looks like.

If Murray takes the Vikings to the playoffs, manages games well, makes plays from time to time, and sometimes leaves something to be desired—like a Bo Nix, for example—then there’s a pretty good argument for sticking with him and keeping options open for the future. If he’s average in the way that you can’t really overcome anything and the team ends up bumbling around eight or nine wins with his ups and downs, then it’s hard to make an argument that you’d want to keep him long term. 

For the record, in Murray’s last full season (2024), Pro Football Focus graded him 11th, and ESPN’s QBR had him ninth on a pretty mediocre Cardinals team.

The potential exists for him to be better than average. 

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