A familiar face could soon be joining — or rather, re-joining — the Minnesota Vikings backfield. According to a report from Pioneer Press writer Charley Walters, the Vikings are poised to bring back running back Cam Akers, provided he passes a physical.
Akers remained with the team for the 2023 season after a late-September trade with the Los Angeles Rams brought him to Minneapolis. Like most Vikings running backs in 2023, Akers struggled to gain yards.
In six games with the team, Akers ran the ball 38 times for just 138 yards and one touchdown before being lost for the season with a torn Achilles — just one week after starting quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered the same injury.
Adding Akers to the Vikings backfield could spell the end for at least one running back on the roster. Free agent acquisition Aaron Jones will be safe and, presumably, the team’s starting running back. Ty Chandler should also be secure as a change-of-pace back to spell Jones.
Beyond that, though, the situation at the position gets interesting. Currently, the Vikings have Kene Nwangwu, DeWayne McBride, and Myles Gaskin on the roster. Nwangwu’s roster spot is likely also safe due mainly to the special team’s contributions he brings to the team.
It’s hard to imagine the Vikings going into the season with six running backs on the roster, which likely spells the end of the road for either McBride or Gaskin — or perhaps both. One of them could wind up on the practice squad, but it’s unlikely both do.
McBride was drafted by the Vikings in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft and spent all of last season on the team’s practice squad. Gaskin was originally a seventh-round selection by the Miami Dolphins in the 2019 NFL Draft and spent his first four seasons in Miami — including one year as a starter — before joining the Vikings for a portion of last season.