Pretty Quietly, Vikings Say Goodbye to a Kevin O’Connell Prized Pupil
Former tight end Johnny Mundt was among the Kevin O’Connell favorites. One may arrive at a similar conclusion for running back Cam Akers.
The Vikings saying goodbye to the depth runner arrives as a minor surprise. He got sent packing over the weekend, the loser within a series of moves that involved clearing 53-man roster room for center Ryan Kelly before clearing room on the practice squad for corner Dwight McGlothern. Yes, he was a practice squad player, meaning there was essentially zero job security. But the reality is that Minnesota continues to find ways to put work on Akers’ plate, so the decision to cut him loose hits as a small surprise.
The Vikings Say Goodbye to RB Cam Akers
At the top of the ticket are RB1 Aaron Jones and RB2 Jordan Mason.
At full strength, Minnesota can march out an impressive pairs of runners to march down the field. The Vikings have too often proved allergic to running the football, making life needlessly difficult in the process. Recent weeks have featured a renewed commitment to feeding Jones and Mason, though one could argue that each are deserving of a heartier workload.
Leading the runners is Mr. Mason. He has turned 116 carries into 531 yards and 5 touchdowns. The 4.6 yards-per-carry average is healthy, unusually efficient for the Kevin O’Connell offense. Note, as well, that he has converted on 33 first downs and has 12 receptions for 44 scoreless yards.
Meanwhile, Mr. Jones — who, in fairness, was on the IR, lessening his touches — has turned 61 carries into 297 yards for 1 touchdown (4.9 YPC average). The veteran RB1 doesn’t pack the same wallop within his shoulder pads as Mason, but he runs in a reasonably ferocious manner even if no one mistakes him for Derrick Henry. Arguably most promising within the on-field effort from Jones is that he’s a strong pass blocker and he has 16 catches for 128 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
Helping to reinforce the running back depth has been Cam Akers, the runner who Minnesota loves to throw overboard before sending a life preserver into the water to haul him back onto the ship.
In a trio of games in 2025, Mr. Akers had 5 carries for 19 yards, converting once for a first down. He got targeted a single time but didn’t pull off the catch. Most impressively, there was the touchdown toss out of Wildcat, a trick play that helped Minnesota secure the Week 5 victory overseas. Just look at Akers hitting Josh Oliver directly in the mitts, allowing the blocker to scurry for a score.
In what feels like a lifetime ago, Cam Akers was playing for Coach O’Connell while Coach O’Connell was the offensive coordinator for the Rams. The pair won a Super Bowl together.
In 2023, the Vikings made a trade for the runner to shore up the depth. In 2024, the Vikings again traded for the runner to shore up the depth. In 2025, the Vikings signed Akers to (wait for it) shore up the depth. Clearly, there’s some trust in what Akers can offer even as there has evidently been some reluctance to offer a long-term, secure commitment.
Lately, most of the discussion has focused on the horrific play from J.J. McCarthy (and injury news), the possible potential within Max Brosmer, and the broader football futility in the Twin Cities. Lost in the shuffle has been the roster shuffle.
Cam Akers, 26, is a versatile runner who does multiple things well. Seeing him land somewhere where he could earn a strong payday while helping a team win would be a welcome development.
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