• Cam Akers is reportedly on the trade block: NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that the Rams have been shopping Akers. The running back was a healthy scratch in Week 2.
• Browns lose Nick Chubb: WIth the star running back suffering a season-ending injury on Monday Night Football, Cam Akers suddenly becomes a real trade option for the team.
• Vikings could use a jolt to their RB room: Establishing the ground game has been a struggle for Minnesota through two games, so perhaps Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is open to a reunion with a running back he coached for two years with the Rams.
Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
At last year’s NFL trade deadline, we were almost expecting a move involving Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers after he reportedly requested a trade from the team that selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Fast-forward to this season, and while the relationship between Akers and the organization is much better, according to head coach Sean McVay, 2022 fifth-round running back Kyren Williams has taken a stranglehold of the starting job.
According to a report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Rams have had trade talks centered around Akers over the past week. A handful of teams across the league could certainly use an influx of talent at the running back position, so we’re here to identify the best potential fits.
Trade value
Akers is owed roughly $1.3 million through the rest of 2023, the final season of his rookie contract. A trade would probably net the Rams a sixth-round pick in a best-case scenario, so no team is really off the table here. While Akers has had his fair share of struggles, he was the highest-graded rusher in the NFL from Weeks 15-18 last season, earning a 90.1 grade on 75 carries.
Cam Akers Career PFF Grades
Best landing spots
Miami Dolphins
Running back Raheem Mostert navigated rushing lanes beautifully and reached top speed consistently in a very strong outing against the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 2, racking up 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries with three forced missed tackles. Backup Salvon Ahmed left the game early with an injury, and rookie third-rounder De’Von Achane started to get worked into the offense more, including recording a target and a carry.
While Jeff Wilson Jr. is expected to return from injured reserve after Week 4, if Ahmed has to miss time, the Dolphins' run game is effectively all counting on a 31-year-old Mostert who has knee issues that land him on the injury report leading into most games — although he can clearly play through it so far. Perhaps Miami looks to make a cheap addition and add a running back familiar with an outside zone-heavy rushing attack, and Akers may love the idea of returning to Florida, where he played college football at Florida State.
Minnesota Vikings
Establishing the ground game has been a real struggle for the Minnesota Vikings through two games, and while it’s largely been more of an issue with the offensive line than Alexander Mattison, perhaps Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is open to a reunion with a running back he coached for two years with the Los Angeles Rams before taking the job in Minnesota.
The Vikings currently rank 20th in yards before contact per rushing attempt, at 1.1 yards, meaning the ball carrier is often hit before or around the line of scrimmage. From Week 13 through the end of last season, when Akers regained a starting role, he averaged 2.8 yards after contact per rushing attempt, a top-30 mark among running backs over the span.
Indianapolis Colts
Zack Moss had an impressive debut in Week 2, carrying the ball 18 times for 88 yards and a touchdown while tacking on four receptions for 19 yards. Moss carried over some good play to close out the 2022 season, becoming the lead back over the last four weeks after getting traded from the Buffalo Bills. From Weeks 15-18, Moss earned a 77.2 rushing grade, which ranked tied for 14th, and his 0.29 forced missed tackles per rushing attempt ranked fifth over the span. All of that said, the Colts' backfield has taken a few hits already even beyond Jonathan Taylor.
Depth running back Deon Jackson managed just 14 rushing yards on 13 carries in Week 1 and promptly had zero touches in Week 2. Rookie Evan Hull was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury and could be out for quite a while. While Taylor appears ready to return in Week 5, the Colts could look to add another early-down runner in the meantime.
New York Giants
Giants star running back Saquon Barkley suffered a low ankle sprain in a come-from-behind win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, a comeback that included an impressive touchdown from Barkley as he dove for the pylon. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Barkley is expected to miss roughly three weeks, meaning New York is down to Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell and rookie Eric Gray in the backfield.
Akers wouldn’t be ready to hypothetically play in the Giants’ Thursday Night showdown with the San Francisco 49ers, a familiar foe for Akers, but could provide help for the two following weeks until Barkley is able to make his way back in the lineup.
Cleveland Browns
A devastating injury to superstar Cleveland running back Nick Chubb, the best pure runner in the NFL of the past few years, may require a run-first Browns team to make a move. Backup running back Jerome Ford is a very capable player with three-down ability, and Cleveland added former New England Patriots running back Pierre Strong during roster cutdowns, but Akers could help divvy up the touches out of the backfield.
If Cleveland wants to go even bigger, perhaps they make a call to the Indianapolis Colts to inquire about Jonathan Taylor. The Browns may not be interested in signing Taylor to a long-term extension following the trade but could sell him on a golden opportunity running behind one of the best offensive lines in football, with an offensive scheme that will feed him the football.
General manager Andrew Berry was with the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2018 when they executed a similar move for then-Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate, acquiring Tate for a 2019 third-round pick. Tate was in the final year of his contract and went on to sign a four-year, $37.5 million deal with the New York Giants as a free agent. The Eagles earned a fourth-round compensatory draft pick as a result, so they effectively moved down one round for Tate’s services. The Colts' willingness to sell low on Taylor and the lack of assurances that any team would ultimately pay Taylor in free agency could scare off both teams here, but it’s worth mentioning.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals' offense has much bigger issues than adding running back depth behind Joe Mixon, but backup Chris Evans missed Week 2 with a hamstring injury. Cincinnati does have rookie Chase Brown and another back in Trayveon Williams, so they may be able to weather the storm just fine, but with quarterback Joe Burrow reportedly tweaking the calf injury that caused him to miss about a month over the offseason, the running game is likely going to be leaned on even more the next few weeks.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor never crossed paths with Cam Akers during his time with the Rams but has connections to the building that he can tap into to learn more about the running back.
Detroit Lions
Running back David Montgomery told reporters after a tough Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks that he would probably be out “a few weeks” with a thigh bruise, and the Lions may look to add some help in the interim.
You might ask why a team that used the No. 12 overall pick on a running back wouldn’t just turn the touches over to him, but the team clearly doesn’t have a ton of faith in Jahmyr Gibbs running between the tackles just yet in his young NFL career. Craig Reynolds has been with Detroit for a few years now, seen on “Hard Knocks” as a player and person they just absolutely love, but Dan Campbell’s unit wants to run the football and set up explosive passing plays, so adding another early-down runner in Akers should be a consideration.
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