No Cam Akers. Now What?
Despite it looking like the Minnesota Vikings would, or maybe even already had signed Cam Akers to another deal, he won’t be coming through the TCO doors this season. Coming off a second serious injury may not be a huge deal, but it definitely begs some questions.
No Cam Akers. Now What?
First, where did the reporting go wrong? It seemed as though Cam Akers was set to return for the Minnesota Vikings. Multiple outlets had suggested as much, and ESPN had gone as far as reporting it in the Minnesota transaction log. They did all note the caveat that any deal was pending a physical, but ultimately, it doesn’t appear to have gotten even that far.
Second, though, is about the position itself. Last year, the Minnesota Vikings went into the regular season relying on turnover at the running back position. Dalvin Cook had been allowed to walk as he was again, and the hope was that Alexander Mattison would provide a seamless transition behind the quarterback. That didn’t happen, and the need for Akers to be acquired early on presented itself.
Before suffering his second Achilles injury, Akers was clearly the Vikings’ most competent back. He had taken the position from Mattison, and it appeared as though Kevin O’Connell had fixed the early misstep. With Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler in tow this season, Akers wouldn’t be tasked with a lead role, but providing depth at a spot that required it last season seemed straightforward.
With the Akers not being under contract with Minnesota, the Vikings’ running back depth remains a question. Jones has a history of struggling to stay on the field, and while he is an elite option when healthy, banking on that could be dicey. Chandler is a relatively unproven commodity, and though he looked great when taking over last year, there’s no certainty behind banking on that.
If either of the top two options go down, of course, the Vikings would be in a world of hurt. Their veteran options beyond that, though, are non-existent. Kene Nwangwu has shown he’s a special teams player, and DeWayne McBride hasn’t been tested to this point.
It isn’t as though the Vikings need another starter, and Akers is an injury question mark at worst. Still, they could be rolling the dice and have unused salary allocations right now. What they do with it the rest of the way remains to be seen.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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