Vikings Find an Aaron Jones Replacement
The Minnesota Vikings have been on the wrong end of some bad injury news throughout the short 2025 season, and it has drastically lowered the team’s firepower on both sides of the ball. Who knows if the offense would’ve been better with Christian Darrisaw around? Various other players are sidelined, too, and the list is getting longer with Aaron Jones suffering a hamstring injury on Sunday.
Vikings Hire an Aaron Jones Replacement
That leaves exactly two healthy running backs on the 53-man roster: new starter Jordan Mason and depth player Zavier Scott, who has yet to play an offensive snap in the NFL after two years on the practice squad. Xazavian Valladay took his place on the practice squad.
That makes a starter and two inexperienced running backs who have only played special teams in their careers. Surely, the Vikings would add someone. And they did on Tuesday, signing old friend Cam Akers to the practice squad.
Adam Schefter, ESPN, reported on Tuesday afternoon, “With Aaron Jones suffering a hamstring injury, free-agent RB Cam Akers is expected to re-sign with the Vikings.”
It’s almost meme-worthy at this point. Akers was acquired in each of the last two seasons via trade. This time, he’s not costing anything (besides his salary) as a free agent. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah keeps his conditional sixth-rounder for once.
Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling noted, “A tradition unlike any other: the #Vikings are adding Cam Akers to the practice squad, per source. Third consecutive year they’ve acquired the running back.”
Akers has 18 games on his Vikings resume. He has accumulated 435 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground and another 122 receiving yards and two more scores through the air.
The veteran has experience in the system and knows the coaching staff and many of his teammates. It just made sense for the Vikings to sign him to take over as the new backup runner with Ty Chandler and Aaron Jones sidelined.
Akers recently spent training camp with the New Orleans Saints but failed to make their 53-man roster.
In 2020, Akers was a promising prospect out of Florida State. The Rams acquired him with a second-round pick to become the new Todd Gurley. Akers registered 625 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his rookie year while showing promise in the passing game.
His sophomore campaign was supposed to be a breakout year, but he suffered a torn Achilles late in the offseason. Only five months later, he was miraculously ready for the playoffs and helped the Rams capture their Super Bowl with offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.
In the following 2022 season, he was quite solid, but he somehow found himself in Sean McVay’s doghouse and was ultimately traded to the Vikings following Week 2 of the 2023 season. Unfortunately, he suffered another torn Achilles tendon.
Still, he bounced back once more and was a reliable backup running back for the Vikings last year once the club swapped another pick for him close to the trade deadline. The franchise wanted more juice from Jones’ replacement and traded for Mason this offseason, but under the current circumstances, Akers is the best option.
Head coach O’Connell said last November, “He really, he does know, kind of the origin of a lot of the things at the base level of our offense, from the standpoint of tracks and reads and where maybe some balls may hit, versus some fronts or movement or things like that. I think he’s a guy that can watch the game and see how we’re being defended, see how certain runs are kind of looking, either on the tablet or in real time, and then he goes out there and he can adjust on the fly.”
Expect Akers to be active on Sunday and get some touches when Mason needs a breather.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.