Vikings RB Swiped by Rams
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings employ one less running back, courtesy of an injury to upstart Los Angeles Rams tailback Kyren Williams.
Williams will miss some time due to injury, and to hedge the bet in his absence, Los Angeles plucked Vikings RB Myles Gaskin from the practice squad on Tuesday.
Vikings RB Swiped by Rams
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “More RB reinforcements on the way: the Rams are signing running back Myles Gaskin off the Vikings’ practice squad and on to their active roster, per source.”
Gaskin joined the Vikings roster late in the summer after the club auditioned men like Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis for the gig. The Dolphins cut Gaskin loose during roster trimdowns, and Minnesota pounced.
Then, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung a low-stakes trade for Rams halfback Cam Akers, and Gaskin ventured to Minnesota’s practice squad. Now, although there is no direct correlation, it’s as if the two organizations swapped Akers and Gaskin.
The Rams also signed Royce Freeman, another running back, on Tuesday while adding a familiar name in Darrell Henderson to its practice squad. Suddenly, the club, without Williams for an undetermined period, employs three new runners: Gaskin, Freeman, and Henderson.
Even with the depth, though, the Rams are expected to afford rookie Zach Evans a hefty workload.
Gaskin, 26, joins his third NFL team after spending four productive seasons in Miami. The former 7th-Round draft pick is a dual-threat RB, tabulating 101 receptions since 2019 for 701 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 361 rushing attempts for 1,355 yards and 7 scores. He was at the peak of his powers in 2020, tallying 972 yards from scrimmage.
Here’s Gaskin’s Pro Football Focus resume to date:
2022: 66.5
2021: 64.8
2020: 74.5
2019: 57.4
The Rams are 3-3 through six weeks, an unforeseen inhabitant of the NFC’s No. 7 playoff seed. Many NFL pundits predicted the Rams would struggle and finish near the bottom of the NFL per wins, but head coach Sean McVay evidently disagreed.
Los Angeles’ offense ranks fifth leaguewide at the moment per DVOA, and with Williams hitting the shelf, fifth in rushing DVOA. It is unclear if the Evans-Gaskin-Freeman-Henderson conglomeration will be enough to keep the Rams ground game afloat.
The Vikings play the Rams in 2024 at SoFi Stadium.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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