The Minnesota Vikings made a couple of expected roster moves on Wednesday, placing injured running back Cam Akers on injured reserve and adding a quarterback.
Akers ruptured his Achilles tendon in monday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons and will miss the rest of the season. He was stealing snaps from Alexander Mattison before the injury and is the only Vikings running back to score a touchdown on the ground this season.
Second-year back Ty Chandler will likely see increased snaps in Akers’ absence.
With their top two quarterbacks injured, the Vikings signed former Gopher Tanner Morgan to the practice squad. This is Morgan’s second stint with the Vikings this year.
Starter Kirk Cousins is out for the season with a torn Achilles and rookie backup Jaren Hall suffered a concussion on Sunday. Joshua Dobbs, who led the Vikings to a comeback win over the Falcons just days after joining the team, will start this weekend against the New Orleans Saints.
The Vikings released defensive tackle Sheldon Day from the practice squad to make room for Morgan.
The team made no moves Wednesday regarding star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who is eligible to return to practice this week after a four-game stay on IR.
“We’re gonna do what’s best for Justin and make sure that we’re doing everything responsibly to make sure that when Justin does return he can be the Justin Jefferson we all know and expect to see out there,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said Tuesday.