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After working out for the Houston Texans earlier in the day, former Vikings running back Cam Akers inked a contract with them on Sunday night. Entering his sixth season in the NFL, the 25-year-old Akers joins a running back room that also contains Dameon Pierce and Joe Mixon in the highly skilled Texans offense. He should be the RB3 for one of the AFC’s top contenders if he heals from his November Achilles injury.
According to a story from a few weeks ago, Akers would be re-signed by the Vikings provided he cleared a physical. Since it didn’t occur, the physical was either unsuccessful or the report was inaccurate. In any case, Akers seemed to be moving well on his first day in Houston. In 2021, he recovered from an Achilles injury in just six months.
Since Akers isn’t coming back to Minnesota, the Vikings’ number three spot is up for grabs as training camp begins this week. Myles Gaskin, Kene Nwangwu, and DeWayne McBride are the other backs on the roster; Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler are the undisputed top two at that position. Of the three, Gaskin has the most experience by a wide margin; he was the Dolphins’ starting running back in 2020 and ’21, but he did not have a single touch in the previous campaign. In three seasons, Nwangwu, the kick returner for the Vikings, has 33 offensive touches. McBride, a seventh-round selection in the previous draft, was a practice squad member during his rookie campaign.
Although Akers would have been a good fit as the Vikings’ third baseback, Gaskin, Nwangwu, and McBride may be sufficient. The 29-year-old Jones will undoubtedly be Minnesota’s starter for the entire season, and Chandler will probably see a lot of playing time as part of that strategy. The Vikings could always try to sign a seasoned RB off the street or make a trade for one if they are unhappy with their depth at the position when training camp ends.
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Akers, who was originally selected by the Rams in the second round of the 2020 draft, was traded to the Vikings in September of last year. Conditional late-round draft selections were part of the deal; they would have been exchanged if he had reached 500 yards rushing last season, which he did not. Before suffering an injury in Week 9, Akers had 208 yards and a touchdown on 49 touches with the Vikings. His best moment as a Minnesota player was a highlight-reel block he had earlier in the game, the one in which he was injured.
Currently, Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, Case Keenum, Akers, Kris Boyd, and Chris Reed are the six former Vikings on the Texans roster.
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