C.J. Ham is entering his ninth NFL season. That’s an impressive feat for any professional football player, let alone an undrafted player from Division II Augustana who plays a position, fullback, that has fallen by the wayside in the modern NFL.
Ham has been a steady presence on the Vikings since 2017, making him their second-longest-tenured player behind Harrison Smith. (Eric Wilson also started with Minnesota in 2017, but played elsewhere from 2021 to 2024.)
Think back to the 2017 team’s miraculous run to the NFC Championship game and the climax of the Minneapolis Miracle. Remember promising young players like Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, Danielle Hunter, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander. Many of those guys became stars, and several players from that team are still in the league; however, only Ham and Smith have remained with the Vikings.
Ham has seen six different offensive play callers in his Vikings career. He’s played in 130 of 132 possible games, including every one since 2021. Ham is a team leader and a four-time captain. He has played 2,124 career snaps on offense and 2,117 career snaps on special teams, nearly an even split. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler and Minnesota’s nominee for the 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Ham has accomplished all of this despite playing a position that has been largely phased out of the NFL. By my count, the Vikings are one of only nine teams to use a player listed as a fullback on more than 100 snaps in 2024. Other players include:
In a league that’s mostly moved away from them, fullbacks need to be versatile to survive. In NFL playbooks, there are five primary positions for skill players. You’re probably familiar with “X” and “Z” WRs. “Y” is for TEs, and “H” is for RBs. Then there’s the “F” position, which means “formation adjuster.”
The F fills in the gaps depending on what personnel the offense is playing. If they have three WRs, the F is a slot receiver. With two TEs, the F is a second TE. With two RBs, the F is the FB.
Ham plays the FB position well, but he can also line up as a second TE when called upon. He played 42 snaps at in-line TE in 2024, per PFF. Ham is proficient enough of a receiver that he can be a checkdown option, which means the Vikings can stay balanced when he is on the field.
Per PFF’s data, he was on the field for 144 passing snaps, including 91 where he ran a route, and 133 rushing snaps in 2024. That balance allows the Vikings to keep opponents on their toes. Ham may not have the skills of a slot receiver, but his versatility makes him a true “F.”
Let’s take a look at some of the ways the Vikings trust Ham.
The first and most obvious for a fullback is as a lead blocker. The play below features Ham running up to and sealing the LB out of the play. He keeps tight against the lineman and wins first contact, sealing the defender out of the play and springing Aaron Jones for a nice gain.
CJ Ham did a great job as a lead blocker on this rep, deleting the LB from the play to help spring a long Aaron Jones run.
— Matt Fries (@friesfootball.bsky.social) 2025-07-01T23:51:25.030Z
Ham’s 5’11”, 250 lb. frame can also take on more difficult defensive linemen. Below, he executes a kickout block against 305 lb. Rakeem Nunez-Roches.
CJ Ham goes one-on-one and seals the backside DE (305lb Rakeem Nunez-Roches) out of the play on this rep.
— Matt Fries (@friesfootball.bsky.social) 2025-07-01T23:52:38.402Z
Perhaps the most visible and interesting way the Vikings used Ham last year was as the sole RB in third-and-long situations. As a very good pass protector, Ham added value over Aaron Jones, Cam Akers, or Ty Chandler as a blocker. He’s also a proficient enough receiver to make do as a checkdown option. Ham’s 76.6% career catch rate and 5.2% career drop rate prove that he has reliable hands.
In the NFL, third-and-long is generally when teams dial up blitzes, loading up the line of scrimmage, or sending players from depth. To block them, you need an RB who is on the same page as the pass protection scheme, can sift through the moving pieces up front, and actually execute the block you’re asking him to make. Not every player can do that.
Aaron Jones can pick out defenders well and get to the spots he needs to, but he doesn’t necessarily have the size to block every opponent well.
That’s where Ham comes in.
The play below is a great example where Ham has to cross the formation to block a blitzing DB on a third-and-11. Ham stops the defender in his tracks and is a critical part of creating a clean pocket for Sam Darnold to deliver the ball.
The Vikings often used CJ Ham in pass protection on 3rd down and long last year. Here, he does a really nice job of working across the formation to a blitzing DB to help give Darnold time to complete a pass to Jefferson for the 3rd down conversion.
— Matt Fries (@friesfootball.bsky.social) 2025-07-01T23:48:36.493Z
Ham’s versatility to line up at TE also makes a difference. He can chip block, helping teammates, before getting out on routes. Below is an example of a chip on a nice Darnold completion to Jordan Addison.
CJ Ham chipping and releasing while lined up at TE.
— Matt Fries (@friesfootball.bsky.social) 2025-07-02T00:06:23.129Z
While opportunities have diminished under Kevin O’Connell, Ham’s RB background also makes him a short-yardage option in the running game. He scored a TD last year against the New York Jets and had to fit through a tight crease to do it.
CJ Ham's rushing TD against the Jets.
— Matt Fries (@friesfootball.bsky.social) 2025-07-02T00:38:59.710Z
None of this even highlights his special teams play, where he serves as a critical protector on the punt team and a rusher/blocker on punt returns. He also plays on the kickoff units, and the Vikings obviously regard his special teams play highly.
Coming into C.J. Ham‘s first camp as a UDFA, no one would have believed you if you had told them Ham and Harrison Smith would be the only two players remaining on the roster after nine seasons. Now, it’s impossible to imagine a Vikings roster without Ham filling in the gaps. He’s the team’s glue guy, willing to do all of the dirty work the team asks of him.