Cam Akers knows the feeling that Houston Texans starting running back Joe Mixon and backup Dameon Pierce experienced in Week 2.
Injuries to the top two backs on the depth chart last week opened the door for Akers to practice this week as the No. 1 back and potential starter when the Texans roll into Minneapolis to face one of Akers’ former teams, the 2-0 Vikings.
There’s no Cliff’s Notes version to how Akers got here, but his mere presence on an NFL roster at age 25 after twice tearing his Achilles says everything you need to know about his drive and perseverance.
Akers had a team-high 32 yards on seven carries with Mixon (ankle) exiting last Sunday’s win against the Chicago Bears and Pierce (hamstring) sitting out.
The one-time No. 1 running back in high school is playing on a veteran minimum deal to prove, in his words, “I’m still who I am. I haven’t lost a step.”
Akers spent part of last season with the Vikings following a trade from the Los Angeles Rams. He went on injured reserve in November and denies there’s any extra motivation to melt Minnesota’s defense in a revenge play. He’s been too busy thinking about a goal-line fumble against the Bears.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday that Houston is holding out hope for Mixon to be on the field in Minnesota. In training camp, Ryans labeled the former Bengals running back “as tough as our toughest player” when defending his durability.
If Mixon can’t go, Pierce might not be the next best option for Houston because of a weeks-long fight with his ailing hamstring.
“I don’t have to get ready when you stay ready,” Akers said.
Talent has never been Akers’ issue. During a prolific prep career in Mississippi, Akers had more than 13,000 yards combined rushing and passing and 149 touchdowns. As a senior playing running back and quarterback, he rushed for 2,105 yards and 34 touchdowns and passed for 3,128 yards and 31 TDs.
A star at Florida State with 34 total TDs and two 1,000-yard seasons, Akers went to the Rams in the second round of the 2020 draft. He finished his rookie season strong with 221 rushing yards and two touchdowns in two playoff games, but tore his Achilles one week before training camp began. He made a shocking return almost exactly five months later and played in the Week 18 Christmas Day game against the San Francisco 49ers, proving that he was worthy of a playoff roster spot.
He started and had 13 carries for 21 yards in the 23-20 victory in the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Akers requested a trade one month into the 2022 season due to a limited role, then found his way onto the field and delivered a three-touchdown game in the first of three consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He started Week 1 of 2023 but gained 29 yards on 22 carries and was inactive Week 2, the start of a path out of Los Angeles. He was traded to the Vikings in September for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft.
Six games into his tenure with the Vikings, Akers tore his left Achilles.
On Sunday, he vows to be ready if another opportunity arises.
“He’s been playing at a high level since I watched him in college. He’s a little more focused,” quarterback CJ Stroud said of his first impressions of Akers. “His foundational work has been great. I’m really loving his game, how patient he is and he hits the hole at the same time.”
Akers isn’t the only off-the-radar player to watch in Week 3. Here are a few others likely to fill expanded roles this week:
–Broncos RT Alex Palczewski (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Mike McGlinchey went down late in the Week 2 loss to the Steelers and “Palcho” entered the game with a stiff assignment: Keep T.J. Watt away from rookie QB Bo Nix in the two-minute offense.
With a week to prepare for the Buccaneers, head coach Sean Payton is confident in the 25-year-old Palczewski.
“We’ll be smart relative to what we’re doing protection wise, but he’s played in a lot of football games,” Payton said. “I know he’ll be excited about his first start.”
An All-American at Illinois in 2022, Palczewski played six college seasons and started 65 games for the Fighting Illini. He initially made the Broncos’ roster as an undrafted free agent but went on injured reserve early last season.
“There’s going to be a level of nerves, but I did six years at Illinois, so I got plenty of starts under my belt,” he said. “Obviously it’s the NFL and there’s a lot of really good players, but I’m just going to do the best job I can, work on my technique and just know that I want to give as much as effort as I can to protect the guys around me and play for the guys to the left and right of me.”
–Rams WR Tutu Atwell (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
Puka Nacua is on injured reserve with a knee injury and the Rams could be without WR Cooper Kupp for “an extended period” with a left ankle injury. Kupp was hurt last week at Arizona.
Jordan Whittington had 11 catches in the preseason and created a lot of buzz as the next best option in line for the Rams, but that would be overlooking the diminutive Atwell.
As Matthew Stafford strained to find a lead target against the Cardinals, Demarcus Robinson led the Rams with 50 receiving yards. Atwell was close behind with 48 and knows the 49ers’ scheme well. He had seven receptions for 77 yards in last year’s meeting with San Francisco in Los Angeles.
Stafford already trusts Atwell. Look back to the first four weeks of last season, when Atwell was targeted 35 times and caught 22 passes.
