Minnesota Vikings (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings have bolstered their offense by bringing in a veteran running back and familiar face.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Minnesota Vikings have re-acquired running back Cam Akers in a trade with the Houston Texans. Minny also gets a conditional seventh-round pick in 2026, with the Texans receiving a conditional sixth-round pick in 2026.

Minnesota’s top running back, Aaron Jones, is dealing with a hip injury. Their No. 2 running back is Ty Chandler, but Akers provides important insurance for Kevin O’Connell’s group in case Jones can’t play in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions.

Akers played six games for the Minnesota Vikings after coming over in an ealrly-season trade with the Los Angeles Rams. The Super Bowl 56 champion unfortunately suffered a season-ending Achilles tear, finishing his first Vikings tenure with 138 rushing yards and a touchdown.

The 25-year-old had his best season in 2022, rushing for 786 yards and seven touchdowns. Akers missed most of the Rams’ Super Bowl 2021-winning season but appeared in all four playoff games, rushing for 172 yards.

The Vikings enter Week 7 as one of the last two undefeated teams, along with the fellow 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs. They had a bye in Week 6 after narrowly outlasting old friend Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in London.

A Smart Pickup By The Minnesota Vikings

You can never have too many running backs in today’s NFL, especially considering how injury-prone they are in this day and age. Akers is a Super Bowl champion with familiarity in Minny’s offense, so bringing him back for a late-round pick was a stroke of genius by the NFC North leaders.