Akers trade, Risner at RG and Dallas Turner's progress

The Vikings were busy Tuesday trading their old pal, running back Cam Akers and getting Dalton Risner onto the field after he spent the first six weeks of the season on injured reserve. Let's break down these two stories and take a look at the development of rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner.

The Vikings bolstered the running back room by trading a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft for Cam Akers and a conditional seventh-round 2026 pick from the Houston Texans.

Whether the move is to add depth immediately because Aaron Jones may need a few weeks to fully heal from his hip injury, or whether last week's game against the Jets was a wake-up call they needed when it comes to the Running back depth went down, Akers adds important pieces to the backfield. Firstly, experience in the system. He has been in the McVay system since being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 2020. Last year, he spent part of the season with Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings before injuring his Achilles tendon in Week 9 against the Falcons and missing the rest of the year. The learning curve shouldn't be much and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him play right away.

Akers is an excellent pass protector. In 85 career snaps as a passer, he allowed just five QB pressures, and in his highest-playing season (2022), he posted a PFF grade of 73.9 in pass blocking, fourth-best among RBs with more than 30 blocking snaps.

He was effective in the passing game out of the backfield, catching 11 passes on 12 targets for 70 yards as a Viking last season.

Above all, Akers brings a head start. He plays with a physical strength similar to Aaron Jones's, being able to surge forward in short-yardage situations or gain a few extra yards when opponents think they've let him down. According to PFF, he is averaging 2.6 yards after contact this year and has forced 10 missed tackles on 40 attempts.

Where will Akers fit in? If Jones is healthy, he gives O'Connell another option outside of speedster Ty Chandler. He can mix and match depending on the situation. If Jones is sidelined for a series and they need a third-and-long pass protector, Akers can handle it. If they're looking for an explosive first-and-10 run, Chandler could be the way to go.

Before the Jets game, Jones was on pace to carry the football more than 270 times this year. That would have been the highlight of his career. With the Vikings planning to play into January, they need the most current version of Jones they can get. This would have been very difficult to achieve if they had only relied on Chandler. And if Jones misses games, the Vikings should still be able to run the ball effectively. Akers is still thriving despite his injury history, averaging 5.1, 4.1 and 4.7 yards per carry in three games where he did significant work, which didn't come against the Vikings' stout defense.

Since the Vikings traded for him twice, it's clear that O'Connell really appreciates Akers – and he said as much when the Vikings faced the Texans earlier this year.

“I love Cam Akers,” O’Connell said. “I had the chance to be around him from his first day as an NFL player after he had an incredible career at Florida State. Cam is a unique, special and talented person. To deal with the kind of adversity he's faced in his young career, and you've never heard him feel sorry for himself. Incredibly strong player, both mentally and physically. The Houston Texans with Cam Akers makes him a player we need to focus on regardless of what the depth chart looks like pregame because I know exactly what Cam Akers is and what he's capable of on any given Sunday in the National Football League is capable. I’m looking forward to seeing him, I have a great relationship with him and I care about him a lot.”

Overall, the Vikings could have looked for other trade options in the backfield, but Akers came virtually for free, allowing them to use their remaining draft capital on other deals if needed. Is this the only step or just the beginning? The trade deadline isn't until November 5th, but given the Davante Adams and Amari Cooper trades, it's clear that teams aren't waiting until the last moment.

When the Minnesota Vikings acquired back guard Dalton Risner, head coach Kevin O'Connell said he would compete for a starting spot at either the left or right guard position. But that never really materialized as he was a second-team player at the start of training camp and then suffered an injury that kept him out of the preseason and first five games of the year.

On Monday, the Vikings opened Risner's 21-day practice window before they must find a spot for him on the 53-man roster. This opens the door for the competition to truly start on the right side.

“I’m in football shape, I’m ready to go, I was ready,” Risner said Monday.

The Vikings were hoping 2022 second-round pick Ed Ingram would take another step forward this season after showing some progress last year. Between his rookie season and year two, Ingram's PFF pass blocking grade improved from 44.4 (54th of 57) to 60.9 (34th of 58), but he hasn't carried that jump in performance over to this season and is dropped to 62nd of 63 guards with at least 200 snaps.

In total, Ingram was credited with 17 QB pressures, the fourth-most among guards. His pass-blocking efficiency is the second-lowest in the NFL and his career mark is lower than previously maligned guards Dakota Dozier, Mike Remmers and Tom Compton.

The offensive line really only had one weak link this year. The second-most pressures allowed on the O-line are 13 by center Garrett Bradbury, and new starting left guard Blake Brandel was credited with just five. Neither elite tackle has reached double-digit pressures yet. The right guard position has given up 29.6% of the total pressure to Sam Darnold, which is the second highest of any RG in the league.

Now that Risner is back in training, will Risner get the chance to start over with Ingram? Risner has never played right guard in the NFL and played all 4,518 snaps at left guard.

“I feel comfortable on both the right and left side, no matter what guard position it is,” Risner said. “Whatever position I’m supposed to play, I’m ready to go. You know I just want to play football, you know what I mean?”

Since his arrival, Risner has repeatedly said he can play anywhere on the line, citing his experiences in college playing center and right tackle.

“I didn’t see much of a difference when he took the reps on the right side,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. “It usually takes these guys a day or two to kind of get used to just switching stances to the other side and being part of the calls on the right side as opposed to the ones on the left side. But usually the pros who have played offense most of their lives can make that transition pretty quickly.”

Risner would make a huge improvement in pass protection if the Vikings signed him for the starting position. Last year, according to PFF, he ranked 20th in pass block rating (out of 58) and gave up no sacks in 485 snaps. He had similarly impressive numbers in 2022 with Denver, allowing just three sacks and ranking 19th in pass blocking rating.

However, the decision is not entirely open. The strongest part of Ingram's playing is the same as the weakest part of Risner's repertoire. Ingram has a physicality in his run block that can be a big advantage at times (though he hasn't been dominant, finishing 25th, 34th and 40th in three seasons), while Risner is 49th in run blocking in 2023 reached.

Risner would like an opportunity to prove himself considering he had no offers as a starter this offseason.

“My motivation is through the roof,” Risner said. “I have a chip on my shoulder, I have a lot to prove and a lot to say, but for now I'll just leave it at this: training was great today, I'm really grateful for that and come back.”

The Vikings paid a significant price to sign Dallas Turner in the draft, but so far he hasn't seen much playing time. The former Alabama star has been on the field just 77 times on defense and has 1.0 sacks and six tackles.

Of course, the Vikings have the best defense in the NFL and their veteran edge rushers have been fantastic. Jonathan Greenard entered Week 6 second in the NFL in QB pressures, Andrew Van Ginkel has 3.0 sacks and two pick-sixes and Patrick Jones has 5.0 sacks.

“I think he’s an up-and-coming player,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. “I think he was great in meetings… when his number was called he was defensive. He made a great play on fourth down stop the other day.”

Turner gains new experience on special teams. He played a total of 61 snaps, playing kickoff coverage, punt return, punt coverage and field goal blocking.

Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said Turner had never played special teams before but was up for the challenge.

“I think he’s embraced it and he’s enjoying it,” Daniels said. “He sees guys like Ivan Pace out there, he sees guys like Josh Metellus out there, he sees guys doing things at an elite level in the other phase of our game, CJ Ham, where he understands and realizes, okay, this is not just something that is just for role players on our football team.”

What particularly struck Daniels was Turner's enthusiasm.

“He brings incredible energy to the meeting rooms on the practice field,” Daniels said. “You can see him on game days. He celebrates, he's the first one when we punt at the 2-yard line and celebrates because he's just so excited and he just loves football. So when you have people who love football like he does, it’s easy.”

Over the years, we've seen many players improve their special teams skills as they develop, most recently including versatile defenseman Josh Metellus. How can playing on special teams help Turner prepare for a larger role on defense?

“He’s still raw and the thing with special teams is there’s so much space play. As if there was chaos, bodies flying everywhere. But what's always important in the world of special teams is block destruction and the ability to attack in space. Instincts and a kind of consciousness also play a certain role. So when you start looking at special teams development, the question becomes: How good are you at breaking deadlocks?”

Daniels said special teamers need to understand a variety of block-defeating and tackling techniques. They are often faced with situations where they slow down quickly and try to take out a returner who may go left, right or straight. As a player who has to both rush the passer and make space plays, Turner can hone his skills and be prepared for receivers, tight ends and running backs if he gets more playing time on defense.

That could come soon.

“We're constantly trying to figure out how to get him in, whether it's a package here or a package there,” Flores said. “But I think he’s doing really well.”