As Aaron Jones mends, recently acquired running back Cam Akers says he’s ‘excited’ to rejoin Vikings

Running back Aaron Jones reported to Vikings headquarters every day throughout last week’s bye, putting his injured right hamstring through a litany of healing tactics in the hope of playing Sunday against the Lions.

“Lot of stretching, lot of deep tissue massage,” Jones said Wednesday. “Needles; I hate needles by the way. But I’m needling, on the table sweating. And a lot of strengthening core work, hip flexors and recovery in the cold tub, sauna — different things. Hyperbaric chamber. Just trying to find anything that works.”

But Jones’ availability remains uncertain. He didn’t practice Wednesday but said he’ll test the hamstring during Thursday’s practice. He suffered the injury during pregame warmups at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where he tried to play through the issue before getting pulled from the game at the end of the first quarter.

Jones’ new teammate, running back Cam Akers, feels like he never left Vikings headquarters. Akers, a 2020 second-round pick by the Rams who played six games last season for the Vikings, was reacquired this week from Houston for a late-round pick.

Akers, 25, spent a lot of time this offseason near TCO Performance Center in Eagan, where he rehabbed the second torn Achilles tendon of his career at a nearby training facility.

The Vikings attempted to re-sign Akers this summer, but he chose the Texans, who suddenly viewed him as fungible after starting running back Joe Mixon returned from injury.

And the Vikings needed help after backup running back Ty Chandler gained only 30 rushing yards on 14 carries while replacing Jones against the Jets. For additional depth, the Vikings also promoted running back Myles Gaskin to the active roster from the practice squad.

Akers arrived at the Vikings facilities around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday following Tuesday night’s trade.

“Excited simply because I know the scheme,” said Akers, who caught an 8-yard touchdown pass against the Vikings in the Texans’ Sept. 22 loss at U.S. Bank Stadium. “I know the people and how they operate here. I know how they treat people. I know how they go about business. It’s a winning organization. I want to win. I want another Super Bowl, and I think it’s a great opportunity to do that here.”

Akers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, his second in the NFL, in Week 9 last season.

Coach Kevin O’Connell said he likes what he’s seen physically from Akers, who was drafted in 2020 when O’Connell was the Rams offensive coordinator. Akers has gained 163 yards on 44 touches this season.

“Cam has looked really good, whether it was the early reps in the preseason or scoring against us when we played,” O’Connell said. “Somebody we didn’t necessarily want to let go to somebody else last offseason, but [with] good football players that tends to happen.”

It’s been two Achilles tears and two midseason trades for Akers, who said the wildest parts of his journey haven’t been told.

“Injuries are a part of football, but the crazy part is the stuff people don’t see,” Akers said. “The stuff the media don’t see.”

Like what?

“I won’t get into details,” Akers said. “Nah, I won’t. Just the stuff media don’t see: the business aspect of the game and stuff I won’t get into. … Obviously I’ve [returned] from my injuries, I’m good both times, but it’s other hurdles you have to jump through sometimes that aren’t foreseen. You just have to keep going.”

Jones, who has 517 yards from scrimmage in five appearances for the Vikings, didn’t foresee the hamstring strain he suffered during pregame warmup in the Oct. 6 win against the Jets.

The injury was initially listed as a hip issue by the team, but Jones pointed to his upper right hamstring while talking about how he tried to play through the injury.

“I’m like, ‘I feel pretty good. Maybe this thing is gone,’” said Jones, who had 53 yards from scrimmage in the first quarter before exiting. “Then as the game progressed, I felt it. I felt like I was off to a good start that game and was in for a good day, but things happen. We still got the win … and I didn’t hurt myself any further.”

Teams have until 3 p.m. Nov. 5 — the NFL trade deadline — to buy or sell.

“Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah] and his group will be evaluating any and all options,” O’Connell said. “But at the same time, we feel we’ve got really good depth — that was one of the reasons we made the move for Cam, just to continue to solidify an important part of our team for the next 12 games and beyond. If there’s an opportunity to do that at another position, or an opportunity to add an impact player, you just have to work through all those.”