The Minnesota Vikings continued an aggressive response to their speeding woes Wednesday, buying working again Cam Akers from the Los Angeles Rams, the groups introduced.
The deal, which is pending a bodily, features a swap of 2026 draft picks, with the Vikings additionally getting a conditional seventh-round choose and the Rams getting a conditional sixth-rounder.
The Vikings have an NFL-low 69 speeding yards this season after bidding farewell to former starter Dalvin Cook dinner and changing him with longtime backup Alexander Mattison. They’ve additionally tried solely 23 carries by working backs whereas funneling most of their offense by means of a passing sport that has produced the NFL’s second-most yards (674).
The Vikings have began the season 0-2, and coach Kevin O’Connell has stated a number of occasions in current days that he desires the working sport to get extra dependable and environment friendly. On Tuesday, the Vikings signed free agent guard Dalton Risner with hopes of getting him into the beginning lineup within the coming weeks.
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Wednesday’s deal to amass Akers reunited him with each O’Connell and Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, each of whom had been with the Rams through the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Talking Wednesday earlier than the commerce was introduced, O’Connell stated: “It is one of many enjoyable elements of the job when you may visually and collectively as a gaggle determine some issues and [say], ‘Let’s go repair them. Let’s go attempt to do them higher and see what that appears like.'”
The Vikings have been looking for depth behind Mattison since backup Kene Nwangwu suffered a again harm in coaching camp and finally went on injured reserve. They hosted free agent Kareem Hunt on a go to in August and signed veteran Myles Gaskin after the Miami Dolphins launched him as a part of their ultimate roster cuts.
Second-year participant Ty Chandler has served as Mattison’s backup for the primary two video games, however he has gotten solely 19 snaps as a working again. It stays to be seen if Akers will exchange Chandler on the depth chart or whether or not the Vikings will push him towards Mattison’s function.
For Akers, the deal ends a murky interval of distance with the Rams. Coach Sean McVay stated the choice to deactivate Akers final week was a “coach’s determination” that was made within the “finest curiosity” of the staff. Akers posted a message on X earlier than the Rams’ sport in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers that stated: “I am simply as confused as all people else. I am blessed although.”
McVay stated Monday that Akers’ social media put up was “stunning.”
“I really feel excellent in regards to the readability that was supplied to him on Friday and Saturday, each by means of he and [agent] David Mulugheta,” McVay stated. “And that is unlucky, however I really feel prefer it was very clear with reference to our dialogue.”
Final season, Akers spent practically a month away from the Rams in the course of the season after McVay stated they explored the choice of discovering the working again “a recent new begin with one other staff.” Earlier final 12 months, McVay informed reporters that he needed to see extra urgency from Akers. McVay stated Sunday that this example with Akers “is totally different” from what transpired final season however didn’t get into specifics.
ESPN’s Sarah Barshop contributed to this story.