If one had a nickel for every time the Minnesota Vikings traded for running back Cam Akers, one would have two nickels after the 5-0 NFC North division leaders traded for him for the second year in a row on Tuesday. Two nickels isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Which side won the Akers deal, which gives the Vikings depth in their backfield with lead back Aaron Jones attempting to return from a Week 5 hip injury in Week 7? Here are our instant grades for the move:
- Minnesota gets: RB Cam Akers, 2026 conditional seventh-round pick
- Houston gets: 2026 conditional sixth-round pick
Vikings: B
The move made plenty of sense for Minnesota. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell drafted Akers in the second-round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Florida State as Sean McVay’s offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams. Between their two seasons together in Los Angeles (2020-2021) and three quarters of a season together last year with the Vikings, the Minnesota offensive play caller has reliable running back depth he can trust with Jones on the mend.
That’s important because Jones had durability issues in Green Bay, playing an entire regular season’s worth of games in only two of his eight years in the NFL (2019 and 2022). He will turn 30 on Dec. 2, so now Akers is around in case the need arises for a spot start. Ty Chandler, a 2022 fifth-round pick, was next on the running back depth chart, and he has 628 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 150 career carries the last three seasons for a 4.2 yards per carry average. Chandler has 42 carries for 147 yards and no rushing touchdowns this season.
It’s difficult to fully grade Houston because the conditions of the picks exchanged aren’t currently known. However, moving up a round in the draft for in exchange for a running back that was at best third on the depth chart behind starter Joe Mixon and backup Dameon Pierce is a smart move. It’s also difficult to give Houston incredibly high marks without knowing what the pick conditions are, so that’s why they too have a B.
