Cam Akers played 12 games with the Vikings this season after being traded from the Texans. (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
The Vikings have some revamping to do in their run game after a season where they struggled to create consistency in their rushing attack.
They finished in the bottom half of the league in total rushing yards (1,855), yards per attempt (4.1) and yards per game (109.1) during the regular season. Most glaring was their nine rushing touchdowns, third-fewest in the league; only the Browns and Jets (8) and Cowboys (6) scored fewer.
And while those issues were often covered up by a successful passing attack, the final two games of the season showed how critical it is to have a run game that can relieve pressure from the quarterback and force defenses to diversify.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said in his end-of-season news conference last Thursday he felt the team improved on the ground throughout the season while acknowledging the need for continued work this offseason.
“There’s always going to be room to grow as we continue to build the 2025 version of Minnesota Vikings, having total alignment between our personnel, the things we do well in the run game, where our strong points are in the run game and then ultimately tying schemes into that,” O’Connell said.
He lauded Jones for his high-level execution, which led to a career-best 1,138 rushing yards. He praised Akers for how he infused his own skill set into what the team was already doing upon his arrival, aiding especially as Jones struggled with a minor quad injury in the final weeks of the season.