The Vikings placed Jones (hamstring) on injured reserve Wednesday.
Jones will miss at least four games while recovering from his hamstring injury, making his earliest tentative return date Week 8 against the Chargers on Oct. 23, due to the timing of Minnesota's bye in Week 6. That positions Jordan Mason to take over the Vikings' backfield in a workhorse capacity, beginning Sunday versus the Bengals. Minnesota also has Zavier Scott available as backfield depth, and the team inked Cam Akers to the practice squad Wednesday.