Texans Sign 6th Former Vikings Player
If Minnesota Vikings fans need a satellite team in 2024, the Houston Texans may be a wise fit.
Texans Sign 6th Former Vikings Player
Houston signed a sixth former Vikings player, adding running back Cam Akers on Sunday after weeks of uncertainty about his status in Minnesota.
NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport tweeted, “The Texans are signing FA RB Cam Akers, who most recently was with the Vikings. Akers worked out for them today.”
Shortly before the Rapoport tweed, Akers tipped his hand with a tweet, “Thank you God🙏🏾.”
On July 2nd, ESPN reported on the Transactions section of its website that Akers had re-signed with the Vikings pending a physical. No news hit the open wire about failing a physical, nor did any other source confirm Minnesota’s alleged signing.
In fact, ESPN’s Transactions page still claims that Minnesota signed Akers at the time of this article’s publication. The man either failed a physical, and no one reported it, or ESPN made a rare mistake. Bizarre, indeed.
Akers will now battle these halfbacks for a 53-man roster spot at training camp and in the preseason:
- Joe Mixon
- Dameon Pierce
- Dare Ogunbowale
- Jawhar Jordan
- J.J. Taylor
- British Brooks
Akers became a Viking via trade in September, a depth piece to the Vikings’ RB room behind Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. Altogether, he tabulated 49 touches for 208 yards from scrimmage. He even scored Minnesota’s first rushing touchdown of the 2023 season in Week 8. Yes, it took the team that long. Akers tore his Achilles a week later.
Meanwhile, the Vikings might need an RB3 for the depth chart sometime before Week 1. At the start of training camp, the depth chart looks like this at the position:
- Aaron Jones
- Ty Chandler
- Kene Nwangwu
- DeWayne McBride
- Myles Gaskin
Free agents on the open market include Kareem Hunt, Matt Breida, Latavius Murray, Jerick McKinnon, and Deon Jackson, among others.
In May, Akers posted a video of himself working out in Eagan at Vikings headquarters, furthering speculation at the time that he could return in purple.
In the end, Akers to Minnesota, though it felt semi-official because of ESPN, did not materialize, and he’ll vie for a spot on the Texans’ roster, a team with oodles of ex-Vikings, including Danielle Hunter (EDGE), Stefon Diggs (WR), Case Keenum (QB), Chris Reed (OG) and Kris Boyd.
Houston ranked 30th in the NFL last season per rushing DVOA.
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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