Vikings Audition New RB

Dustin Baker |

Jul 25, 2024

Tennessee Titans running back Trenton Cannon (23) runs the ball during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. Nfl New York Giants At Tennessee Titans. © Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK.

For about three weeks, Minnesota Vikings fans believed Cam Akers lived on the team’s summer roster, mainly because ESPN reported the transaction on July 2nd.

Vikings Audition New RB

But Akers signed with the Houston Texans this week, perhaps emphasizing Minnesota’s need for running back depth, especially for preseason workload. The Vikings rarely play starters in such exhibition games.

So, Minnesota reportedly auditioned journeyman RB Trenton Cannon.

KPRC2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson tweeted Wednesday, “Vikings worked out veteran running back and special teams standout Trenton Cannon today, per a league source KPRC2 fully recovered from Achilles injury. Has interest from multiple teams.”

If the Vikings eventually turn the tryout into a contract, Cannon would join this RB room in Minnesota:

Aaron Jones
Ty Chandler
Kene Nwangwu
DeWayne McBride
Myles Gaskin

New York Jets running back Trenton Cannon, right, rushes against New York Giants linebacker Ryan Connelly (57). The Jets face the Giants in the first preseason game at MetLife Stadium on Thursday, August 8, 2019, in East Rutherford. Nyj Vs Nyg Preseason

If a deal is finalized, the Vikings would represent six teams for Cannon in six years. To date, this is his career resume:

New York Jets (2018–2019)
Carolina Panthers (2020)
Baltimore Ravens (2021)
San Francisco 49ers (2021)
Tennessee Titans (2022)

All told, Cannon has tallied just 150 rushing yards on 51 carries, also known as a measly 2.9 yards per carry average. He scored one touchdown with the New York Jets as a rookie in 2018 and has caught 20 passes for 160 receiving yards in 48 career games.

Trenton Cannon, of the Jets, tries to get by Jayron Kearse, of the Vikings, during the second half. Sunday, October 21, 2018. © Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com.

Cannon is best known for returning kicks — 34 in his career for 775 yards — with various teams: perhaps the true interest of the Vikings’ tryout after the NFL fundamentally changed kickoff rules this offseason.

The 30-year-old began college at Shepherd State before transferring to Virginia State and tabulated over 4,000 rushing yards as a Trojan. The Jets used the 6th Round of the 2018 NFL Draft to unearth Cannon — the same day Minnesota selected kicker Daniel Carlson.

Minnesota Head Coach Kevin O’Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center ahead of 2024 Training Camp. July 22, 2024. The duo talked about Khyree Jackson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and the QB1 job, among other topics.

During the build-up to that draft, Cannon notched a 4.40 forty-time and was touted for his versatility — pass-catching, special teams, and running the rock.

If Minnesota doesn’t sign Cannon, other free agents like Kareem Hunt, Darrell Henderson, and Matt Breida remain available on the open market.

The Vikings kicked off training camp this week, and RB1 Aaron Jones has already stood off the page as RB1, Minnesota’s keynote RB addition of the offseason.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has about $21 million in cap space as of July 25th.

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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.