Ex-Vikings Running Back Embarks on New Journey
Last season, the Minnesota Vikings entered the season with Aaron Jones as the lead back, followed by his backup Ty Chandler. A few weeks in, Jones kept getting dinged up, and Chandler hadn’t earned the trust of his coaching staff. Subsequently, the front office traded for veteran Cam Akers.
Ex-Vikings Running Back Embarks on New Journey
Ironically, it was the second straight year in which the purple franchise acquired the 2020 second-rounder via trade. The unrestricted free agent has found his next employer.
Cam Akers joins the Saints
New Orleans Saints reporter Nick Underhill announced on social media: “The Saints signed RB Cam Akers.”
Akers worked out with the Saints at minicamp and has apparently done enough to claim a spot on the 90-man offseason roster.
Mike Triplett added: “Talked to Cam Akers during his tryout: ‘I get to learn, learn from AK, get to learn the offense from Joel (Thomas). And grow. I’m only 25, still young, still got some tread on the tires. So I’m looking to grow and better myself and also, of course, better this team.'”
The runner joins Alvin Kamara in the backfield, who has been one of the most dynamic players with the ball in his hands over almost a full decade. He’s getting older, so acquiring guys who can take some of the burden off of him makes sense.
Akers will now compete with rookie Devin Neal and third-year player Kendre Miller for the backup job.
Akers’ Career
Akers was a 2020 draftee out of Florida State. He joined a Rams running back room that needed a successor for Todd Gurley. In his rookie season, he accumulated a respectable 625 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while showing some promise as a pass-catcher.
His sophomore campaign was supposed to be a breakout year, but he suffered a torn Achilles in the offseason. Only five months later, he was ready for the playoffs and helped the Rams capture their Super Bowl with offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.
A solid 2022 season was followed by Akers suddenly landing in Sean McVay’s doghouse, and the Vikings traded for him. Six games into his tenure, Akers suffered another torn Achilles. Although that sounds like the end of his career, he returned once again and looked like a decent back.
Last year, he signed with the Texans, and the Vikings repeated the trade acquisition. Akers has played in 18 games with the Vikings, resulting in 435 rushing yards and 122 through the air and three touchdowns from scrimmage.
Vikings RBs
Akers was a solid RB2, but the Vikes wanted to find an upgrade. Jordan Mason joined via trade and will now rotate with Jones.
Behind those two, though, would’ve been some space for Akers, as Chandler is still a question mark and neither undrafted rookie Tre Stewart nor practice squad sophomore Zavier Scott can be expected to be the solution for the RB3 woes. At this point, it’s still Chandler’s job to lose.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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