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Cam Akers

Saints To Sign RB Cam Akers

June 13th, 2025 at 5:09pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints are signing running back Cam Akers after a successful tryout at mandatory minicamp this week, according to The Athletic’s Diana Russini.

The five-year veteran was a Rams second-round pick in 2020, but didn’t quite live up to his draft billing. He reportedly requested a trade in 2022, but remained in Los Angeles until he was dealt to the Vikings a year later. An Achilles injury limited his 2023 contributions in Minnesota, and Akers became a free agent when his rookie contract expired after the season.

Akers signed with the Texans last offseason and played a tertiary role in the backfield across the first third of the season. He was then traded back to the Texans in October, where he had a similar snap share and added some value on special teams.

In New Orleans, Akers will join a Saints running back room that is currently headlined by Alvin Kamara. 2023 third-rounder Kendre Miller will be looking to carve out a RB2 role with a number of ballcarriers vying for additional snaps. That group includes two former Day 2 picks (Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Velus Jones) and two rookies (Devin Neal and Marcus Yarns), giving Akers no shortage of competition on his new team.

Akers expressed appreciation for his opportunity to try out with the Saints during minicamp, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com, saying “I’m still hungry and I’m young. I’ve got a lot of tread on my tires, and I want to rewrite my story personally.”

Cam Akers, Shane Lemieux Participating At Saints’ Minicamp

June 11th, 2025 at 1:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The rare player to be traded to the same team twice, Cam Akers has not re-signed with the Vikings. The veteran running back, who has returned from two Achilles tears, remains a free agent. But he has secured an extended audition.

Teams can bring free agents to minicamp, and NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill notes the Saints are observing Akers at theirs this week. The former Rams second-round pick spent time with the Texans and Vikings last year. Shane Lemieux joins him at Kellen Moore‘s first Saints minicamp, per NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett. Lemieux played for the Saints in 2024.

Not only has Akers gone to Minnesota twice via trade, he has done so in-season in consecutive years. The Rams ended a decaying partnership by sending Akers to the Vikings, where he reunited with ex-Los Angeles OC Kevin O’Connell, in September 2023. As the Vikings were aiming to upgrade on Ty Chandler behind Aaron Jones, they landed Akers from the Texans in a mid-October pick swap. Akers, 26 this month, has not been closely connected to a team since his one-year, $1.18MM Houston-designed deal expired.

Despite suffering an Achilles tear during his first Vikings season, Akers impressed in the building and returned to play 17 games between his Houston and Minnesota stays in 2024. He gained 444 rushing yards (4.3 per carry), filling in for Joe Mixon as a Texans starter and becoming Jones’ top backup following the trade. Akers also overcame a 2021 Achilles tear, returning in Week 18 of the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl-winning season despite going down in late July. Akers was ineffective upon return, however, and he later fell out of favor in L.A.

The Saints have Kendre Miller still positioned as Alvin Kamara‘s top backup, though the team did keep Clyde Edwards-Helaire on a futures deal before drafting Devin Neal in Round 6. Akers is nevertheless auditioning, as the Saints have been unable to find a reliable Kamara backup for a while. They released Jamaal Williams after an unproductive two-year stay and have not seen Miller stay healthy during that span.

Lemieux battled back from extensive injury trouble in New York, but injuries have crushed his earning power. Formerly a Giants starter as a rookie in 2020, Lemieux missed 32 games over the next two seasons. He then played only four games in 2023, leading to only a practice squad accord with the Saints. New Orleans brought him up from the P-squad in October and later used him as a four-game starter, but another IR stint did commence. Lemieux, 28, will attempt to impress the Saints’ new staff this week.

NFC North Notes: Bears, Vikings, McManus

October 17th, 2024 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady recently said the Bears were on his free agency radar four years ago. Although one fall 2020 report indicated Chicago had indeed waded into the Brady market, Bears chairman George McCaskey confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin) the team did participate in a stealth operation to bring in Brady.

“Anytime you’re in a situation like that you’re not putting all of your eggs in one basket,” McCaskey said. “You’re looking at alternatives. It’s the same in free agency, it’s the same in the draft. If the person you’re targeting isn’t available, you want to make sure that you’ve done your due diligence on all other options. So that was one option that we were looking at.”

The Bears’ alternative that year became a Nick Foles trade. Foles did replace Mitch Trubisky for a stretch during the latter’s contract year, but the former No. 2 overall pick took his job back to help a defense-powered Chicago roster back to the playoffs. The Bears have since drafted two more quarterbacks — Justin Fields, Caleb Williams — in Round 1, as Brady retired (for good, thanks to his Raiders ownership agreement being approved) after a successful Tampa stay.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Playing well at guard after an injury-plagued rookie year at tackle, Teven Jenkins makes sense as a Bears extension candidate. The Ryan Poles regime did not draft Jenkins — a 2021 second-round pick — but the GM has paid Ryan Pace-era pickups Jaylon Johnson and Cole Kmet. Jenkins has confirmed he approached Bears brass about a second contract, but that has been on hold for a while. Chicago’s Week 7 bye loomed as the next window for a Jenkins deal. Jenkins also has not generated too much momentum early in his contract year, missing time because of rib and ankle injuries. As such, it would be surprising — per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain— if the Bears engaged in serious extension talks with Jenkins’ camp this week. Pro Football Focus still views Jenkins as a higher-end guard, ranking him in the top 20 after slotting the Oklahoma State alum as a top-15 option in 2022 and ’23.
  • The Vikings have Cam Akers back in the fold, agreeing to a late-round pick-swap trade to acquire the running back for a second straight season. This will be Kevin O’Connell‘s third stint with the former Rams second-round pick. Despite the second Akers-O’Connell partnership ending with the running back sustaining the second Achilles tear of his career, ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert notes the Vikings attempted to re-sign him before training camp. Akers opted for a Texans offer instead and did enough filling in for Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce to entice O’Connell and Co. to bring him back.
  • Jordan Addison was arrested on DUI charges in August, putting the second-year wide receiver on a path toward a suspension. The Vikings pass catcher appears a good bet to play most of this season, as ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert notes his court date has been moved to Dec. 3. Addison had been scheduled to appear in court Monday.
  • Not charged with a crime, Brandon McManus saw a civil suit lead to his exit from Washington. The NFL had ruled the veteran kicker would not be suspended as a result of the suit — one filed by two flight attendants part of a crew on a Jaguars London flight last year — and both McManus’ attorney and counsel for the plaintiffs confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky) the matter has been resolved. Neither party indicated if the resolution came via settlement or a judge dismissing the women’s suit. McManus was accused of sexual assault in the suit; he denied any wrongdoing. The former Broncos and Jaguars kicker will now be asked to step in for a Packers team that has been unable to find a reliable option post-Mason Crosby.

Texans To Trade Cam Akers To Vikings

October 15th, 2024 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

While not quite on the level of the two receiver trades from earlier Tuesday, the Vikings and Texans will collaborate on another swap during a busy NFL day. Cam Akers is on the move again.

The Texans are trading the fifth-year running back to the Vikings, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. This will mark the second year Minnesota has acquired Akers in-season; the team brought him in from Los Angeles early last season.

Akers and a 2026 seventh-round pick are going to the Vikings, with Pelissero adding a 2026 sixth-rounder — as part of a standard pick-swap agreement — is coming back to the Texans. With Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce missing time this season, Akers had worked as a fill-in starter. Mixon and Pierce returned in Week 6, and pass-down specialist Dare Ogunbowale is on Houston’s roster as well. This gave the AFC South leaders some flexibility, and it will lead to Akers heading back to the Twin Cities.

The former Rams second-round pick will head to a team with a recent running back issue, as Aaron Jones left the Vikes’ Week 5 game due to a hip injury. This deal is not a reflection on Jones’ availability, per Pelissero, as the starter has a shot to play coming out of Minnesota’s bye week. Akers will join Jones and reunite with Ty Chandler in the Vikings’ backfield. Akers, 25, is tied to a one-year, $1.18MM deal. With five Vikings games in the books, the team will add Akers at less than $1MM in base salary.

Akers’ previous Minnesota stay did not end well. The former Super Bowl starter suffered the second Achilles tear of his career. While the first of those injuries sidetracked Akers in L.A., he has rebounded from the second one to play a role for a division-leading team. He signed with the Texans just before training camp. As Akers heads to another, he will bring a 40-carry, 147-yard, one-touchdown stat line with him. The Texans used Akers as a two-game starter, with Ogunbowale receiving extensive time as well. Akers caught a touchdown pass against the Vikings in Week 2 — the Texans’ only points in a 34-7 loss — and The Athletic’s Alec Lewis notes the Florida State alum was popular with the coaching staff last season.

This move may well be a lateral transition for Akers, who would top out as a Vikings third-stringer if Jones returns to full strength soon. Jones not being ready for Week 7, however, would give the Vikings a need behind Chandler. Akers totaled 208 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in six Vikings games last season, rejoining ex-Rams OC Kevin O’Connell in Minneapolis. The 5-0 Vikes will bring him back for some insurance.

NFL Workout Rumors: Dawkins, Lions, Akers

July 28th, 2024 at 10:07pm CST by Ely Allen

The name of recent UFL linebacker Noah Dawkins is starting to make the rounds in NFL camps. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Dawkins worked out recently with both the Cowboys and Bears.

Dawkins’ introduction to the NFL came in 2019 when he signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following an impressive pro day at The Citadel. He was signed off the team’s practice squad to the Buccaneers active roster, appearing in 10 games without recording any defensive statistics. In the next three years, he spent time with the Jets and Bears.

He spent this past UFL season with the Michigan Panthers, totaling 35 tackles and an interception. He wasn’t part of the initial rush of players from the UFL getting NFL interest, but he seems to be growing in popularity. In addition to his recent workouts, Wilson reports that Dawkins has garnered interest from multiple other teams.

Here are a couple other workout rumors from around the NFL:

  • The Lions entered training camp with one of the league’s more intriguing position battles as Michael Badgley and UFL phenom Jake Bates duked it out for the kicking job in Detroit. The incumbent Badgley was forced out of the battle when he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury on Thursday. Despite this setback, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp isn’t simply handing the job to Bates. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Fipp and the Lions brought in a slew of legs to compete with Bates this summer including Matt Ammendola, Lucas Havrisik, Matt McCrane, and Andre Szmyt. Bates was shining at points of his viral UFL campaign but got cold down the stretch. After Bates missed three of eight field goal attempts in practice yesterday, per Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman, it makes sense for Fipp to bring in some competition to keep the UFL star honest.
  • Former second-round running back Cam Akers has struggled to find his place in the NFL but recently signed with the Texans for his next opportunity. Interestingly, Wilson notes that, before his successful workout in Houston resulted in a contract, Akers was scheduled for a workout with the Raiders this past week. Akers has his chance now to battle for time behind Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce in Houston, but his chances may have been a bit better in Las Vegas. The Raiders have a few names in Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, and Ameer Abdullah, but White is relatively inexperienced with just four starts to his name, Mattison struggled in his first season of full-time starting duty last season in Minnesota, and Abdullah hasn’t eclipsed 200 yards rushing in a season since 2017. It’s interesting to see Akers sign with Houston when he may have had an opportunity for more playing time with the Raiders.

Texans Sign RB Cam Akers

July 21st, 2024 at 8:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

8:03pm: Akers’ Sunday tryout in Houston was a successful one as Wilson follows up his earlier report with an update that Akers has been signed by the Texans. After 15 starts in just over three years with the Rams and short stint in Minnesota, Akers now joins the Texans backfield for a third opportunity. He’ll now compete with Dare Ogunbowale and rookie sixth-round pick Jawhar Jordan for a backup role behind Mixon and Pierce.

In addition to Jackson and Williams, Wilson reports that Akers was joined in his workout by Ke’Shawn Vaughn. A former third-round pick out of Vanderbilt, Vaughn failed to catch on in Tampa Bay before spending part of last year on the Patriots’ practice squad.

1:40pm: The Texans have been busy in recent days with respect to investigating a backfield addition. Houston’s efforts on that front continued Sunday.

The team hosted Cam Akers on a workout, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. The former Ram and Viking is among the players looking to find a new home as training camps open around the league. Houston also brought in veteran Deon Jackson and undrafted rookie Miyan Williams earlier this week.

Devin Singletary departed in free agency this year, and the Texans were suitors for a number of high-profile backs on the market. In the end, the team swung a trade with the Bengals for Joe Mixon and signed him to a new deal. The soon-to-be 28-year-old will thus handle lead back duties for the foreseeable future. 2022 fourth-rounder Dameon Pierce remains as a backup option.

Houston has nearly $19MM in cap space, so a move at the running back spot (or any other position) is certainly feasible. Akers, 25, should not be an expensive option for the Texans or any other interested team. Following the end of his Los Angeles tenure, he was dealt to Minnesota. The Florida State alum made just six appearances with the Vikings before he was sidelined with the second Achilles tear of his career.

To little surprise, Akers – who showed promise when healthy before falling out of favor with Sean McVay – remains unsigned deep into the offseason. He recently underwent a physical, and a report from earlier this month suggested the Vikings would be open to re-signing him if he passed. The fact that Akers is still available (and visiting other teams) is a sign he failed the physical or that Minnesota has moved on to other options. In any event, he will attempt to latch onto a roster in Houston or elsewhere in the coming days.

Vikings Open To Re-Signing RB Cam Akers?

July 2nd, 2024 at 8:59am CST by Adam La Rose

Cam Akers closed out the 2023 season in Minnesota after his Rams tenure ended in a trade. The free agent running back is still on the market, but a deal allowing him to remain with the Vikings could be worked out shortly.

Akers is set to take part in a physical, and Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press writes passing it could put him on track to re-sign in Minnesota. That would allow the 25-year-old to compete for a depth spot in the backfield during training camp. Akers’ Vikings tenure proved to be short-lived when he suffered an Achilles tear in November.

That represented the second such injury of his relatively brief career, and to little surprise it hurt his free agent value. The former second-rounder was limited to one regular season contest in 2021, although he did manage to return to action in time for the Rams’ Super Bowl run that year. A falling out with head coach Sean McVay made it clear Akers would not have a long spell in Los Angeles, however, and the trade which sent him to Minnesota paved the way for a fresh start.

Across six games with the Vikings, the Florida State product posted 138 yards and one touchdown on a 3.6 yards per attempt average. Akers did chip in with respect to the passing game (11 receptions, 70 yards) but those figures will limit expectations for him on Minnesota or any new team he joins this summer. Regardless of if he is brought back into the fold, the Vikings have a number of backfield options available.

Allowing Alexander Mattison to depart, the team added former Packer Aaron Jones on a one-year deal. He will occupy lead back duties in 2024, while recent draftees Ty Chandler and DeWayne McBride will compete for backup snaps. The Vikings also have Kene Nwangwu in place as their kick returner, as well as Myles Gaskin as an option for veteran depth. The latter in particular would be in competition for a roster spot if Akers were to re-sign. The Vikings currently have over $26MM in cap space.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/8/23

November 8th, 2023 at 7:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Seahawks

Cory Littleton is back in Houston. The linebacker already got into six games with the Texans this season, mostly playing on special teams. After getting cut in late October, he caught on with the Saints practice squad and quickly earned a promotion on Sunday. This time around, Littleton should be sticking in Houston, at least temporarily. The Texans are required to keep the LB on their active roster for at least three weeks.

The veteran had a productive stint with the Rams to begin his career. He spent four years in Los Angeles, including a two-year stint between 2018 and 2019 where he averaged 129 tackles per season.

Vikings RB Cam Akers Suffers Achilles Tear

November 6th, 2023 at 12:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

NOVEMBER 6: O’Connell confirmed on Monday that Akers has indeed suffered the second Achilles tear of his NFL career (which, as ESPN’s Kevin Seifert notes, affects the other tendon than the one severed in 2021). The injury will deal a blow to his free agent prospects, and leave a Vikings offense now resting on Josh Dobbs at quarterback without a key contributor in the ground game.

NOVEMBER : The Vikings appear to have suffered a season-ending injury on offense for the second straight week. Head coach Kevin O’Connell indicated (via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network) that running back Cam Akers is feared to have suffered an Achilles tear.

That would mark the second such injury to befall Minnesota in as many weeks, with Kirk Cousins being lost for the year in Week 8. Of course, confirmation of the initial fear would mark the second time in Akers’ career that he tore his Achilles. As a result, today’s news marks a major blow to both team and player.

Akers tore his Achilles in the summer of 2021, an injury which derailed his second season with the Rams. Expectations were high for him entering that campaign, given the fact he had established himself as the team’s lead back. While the Florida State product later returned to full health and had stretches of strong play, his tenure in Los Angeles did not come to an end on good terms.

Mentioned in trade speculation in 2022, Akers was retained for the rest of that season and stayed in place as part of the Rams’ backfield to begin the current campaign. He found himself a healthy scratch and buried behind Kyren Williams on the depth chart, however, so it came as no surprise that a trade partner was found this time around. Akers was dealt to the Vikings in September.

That trade – which included a swap of Day 3 picks in 2026 – gave Akers an opportunity to see a more consistent workload in advance of reaching free agency for the first time. The 24-year-old saw only 11 carries in his first three games in Minnesota, as the team kept up its commitment to Alexander Mattison atop the depth chart. However, Akers saw 27 carries in the past three games, carving out an RB2 role for himself along the way. He posted 113 rushing yards (at a rate of 3.8 per carry) and one touchdown during his brief time before going down with what is likely another massive injury.

Presuming further tests confirm the worst-case scenario, Akers’ free agent stock will take a hit. The former second-rounder was already in line for a less-than-stellar market for himself given his performances, injury history and the nature of the RB position. A second Achilles tear would hinder his earning power for 2024 and beyond even further, though, and threaten his availability for the start of next season.

Latest On Vikings’ RB Room

September 22nd, 2023 at 8:52am CST by Adam La Rose

Cam Akers‘ time in Los Angeles came to an expected end earlier this week when he was dealt to Minnesota. The move has led to questions about the Vikings’ pecking order at the running back spot, but the team’s depth chart appears set to remain the same at the top.

Alexander Mattison took over RB1 duties this offseason when the Vikings released Dalvin Cook, but that move has not yielded success on the ground to date. Minnesota has the league’s least productive run game through Week 2, having totaled just 69 rushing yards. Mattison’s inefficiency is among the causes for that figure, but he is safe in his role as starter even with Akers in the fold.

“We haven’t lost confidence in Alex Mattison,” Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “I will say that. Unfortunately we’ve had a couple turnovers in the run game where we obviously need to clean that up. Everyone’s aware of that. But we still feel very strongly in Alex and [backup Ty Chandler] and those guys being able to go in and produce. We know we have to be better in the run game. A lot of that starts with us, and the players fundamentally. All those things we’ve addressed, and… I think it will improve dramatically.”

Phillips and head coach Kevin O’Connell are among the Vikings staffers with ties to Akers dating back to their shared time with the Rams. That level of familiarity should help the latter’s acclimation period with his new team, one which figures to use him in a rotational capacity early on. Expectations will be tempered considering the fact Minnesota only needed to swap future Day 3 picks to acquire Akers, but a strong showing in the coming weeks would help his free agent stock considerably ahead of the offseason.

It would also give the team another option in the run game aside from Mattison, whom Seifert notes does not expect to see his role changed with Akers now in the picture. Improvement on the ground in any capacity would be welcomed for the 0-2 Vikings, but it will be interesting to see how the backfield is managed with a former second-round pick (who started 15 of his 30 Rams contests) in place. For now, at least, Mattison is safe atop the RB depth chart.

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