Wednesday, October 16, 2024

He’s Back

The Minnesota Vikings strengthened their running back group with a familiar player. Cam Akers was acquired in a trade with the Houston Texans. The Vikings traded a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick and the Texans returned a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick. The trade will be complete once Akers passes a physical. 

Against the New York Jets in Week 5, Vikings top back Aaron Jones exited the game late in the first quarter with a hip injury. He didn’t return to the game. He’s expected to be ready for Sunday’s big game against the Detroit Lions. Ty Chandler is a nice option as the Vikings #2 back but more depth and security was becoming a necessity at the position. Akers should provide that. He’s a skilled player and he’s familiar with the team and system. He was in Los Angeles when current Vikings head coach was offensive coordinator of the Rams. More significantly, Akers was with the Vikings last season. He played in six games. Just as his role appeared to be growing, he was lost for the season with a torn Achilles. It was the second torn Achilles of his career. Unfortunately, he’s become accustomed to coming back from the injury. The Vikings were reportedly interested in re-signing Akers in the offseason but he opted for an opportunity with the Texans. He even played against the Vikings this season, scoring a touchdown in Week 3. 

The curious part to this trade is that it’s the second consecutive season in which the Vikings have acquired Akers in a trade. Last September, it was a trade with the Rams. This October, it was a trade with the Texans. To make it even more curious, the Vikings used the same conditional 2026 sixth-round pick in each trade. Due to the Achilles injury, the conditions of last year’s trade weren’t met. The Vikings were able to use the same pick to get their running back, the same back, this year. 

Assuming Cam Akers passes his physical, here are the Vikings running backs:

Aaron Jones
Ty Chandler
Cam Akers
Myles Gaskins
Zavier Scott - Practice Squad

I’m guessing that Myles Gaskin will continue his yo-yo existence between the practice squad and active roster and return to the practice squad. 

Welcome Back, Cam Akers. 



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