The Minnesota Vikings are addressing their biggest weakness.
The Los Angeles Rams are sending running back Cam Akers to Minnesota for a swap of 2026 late-round draft picks. Both teams confirmed the news on Wednesday evening.
Akers, 24, was a healthy scratch in Week 2 after starting for the Rams in Week 1. He had just 29 yards on 22 carries in Los Angeles' opening week win, getting outperformed by backup Kyren Williams.
Since being drafted in the second round in 2020, Akers' career has been up and down. The Florida State alum had 625 rushing yards in 13 games as a rookie, but suffered a torn Achilles in the summer before his second season. He returned for the Rams' regular-season finale and subsequent Super Bowl run.
Akers' third season started slowly, which eventually led to him requesting a trade -- a request that was denied before he went on to rush for a career-high 786 yards.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
Now, Akers is more likely to get the role he desires in Minnesota. Through two weeks, the Vikings have just 69 rushing yards -- the fewest in the NFL.
NFL
The team cut veteran Dalvin Cook before the season, instead opting to give former backup Alexander Mattison a larger role. That experiment is apparently over, with Akers and Mattison now expected to share the backfield.
The 0-2 Vikings will host another winless team, the Los Angeles Chargers, in Week 3 this Sunday.
