Running back Cam Akers is officially the newest member of the New Orleans Saints. The veteran back was signed to a one-year contract on Friday afternoon, according to Nick Underhill of neworleans.football and the NFL transaction wire.
Akers will turn just 26 on June 22, but will be with his fourth team in the last three years. Last with the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings in 2024, he was given a minicamp tryout by the Saints this week before reaching a deal with the team.
Cam Akers wore number 38 during Saints minicamp practices this week. There is no word on the specific finances of his contract or if he'll change numbers before training camp begins next month.
Here's what Athlon Sports wrote about Akers earlier this week upon news of his tryout with New Orleans.
''A 2nd Team All-ACC selection with the Florida State Seminoles, Akers was a second round choice by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2020 NFL Draft. Splitting backfield snaps with Darrell Henderson as a rookie, Akers still led the Rams with 625 rushing yards as a rookie despite missing four games.
An Achilles injury limited Akers to only one regular season game in 2021. However, he returned for the postseason. He'd account for 248 yards from scrimmage through the playoffs on the way to the Rams Super Bowl LVI championship.
Akers rebounded to lead the Rams with 786 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns in 2022. Early in the 2023 campaign, Los Angeles would trade Akers to the Minnesota Vikings. In six games with Minnesota, Akers managed just 138 yards on the ground before being placed on injured reserve.
''The Houston Texans signed Akers during 2024 free agency. He'd pick up only 147 rushing yards in five games for Houston before being traded again. Akers was dealt back to Minnesota, where he ran for 297 yards over the final 12 games.
Over his five-year NFL career, career, Akers has rushed for 2,025 yards while averaging 4 yards per carry and running for 13 touchdowns. He's added 52 receptions for 388 yards and 4 more scores.
New Orleans did not sign Cam Akers to be a featured back. Instead, he'll compete to be a backfield complement to Alvin Kamara for a Saints team that has desperately lacked such a weapon in recent years.
Akers has the inside power, proven production, and showed the burst earlier in his career to be effective in this role. However, he'll face competition to resurrect his professional career.
Akers will have to fend off challenges from fellow veterans Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the often-injured Kendre Miller. Additionally, the Saints also used a sixth round pick on Kansas RB Devin Neal, added an undrafted rookie in Delaware RB Marcus Yarns, and signed versatile veteran Velus Jones.
