EAGAN, Minn. – Cam Akers is feeling a little bit of déjà vu.

And answered prayer.

Akers hit the grass Wednesday for his first practice since being acquired via trade the previous day. The Vikings agreed to terms with the Texans to return Akers to Minnesota, for whom he played six games last season.

Twin Cities media members spoke with the running back following practice, and he called it a "great opportunity" to be back.

"I was excited simply because I know the scheme, know the people and how they operate here, and I know how they treat people. I know how they go about business, and it's a winning organization. I want to win. I want another Super Bowl," said Akers, who helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI when Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell served as the team's offensive coordinator.

"I'm happy to be here, man," Akers later added. "I prayed about it, and God answered my prayer."

The Vikings re-acquired Akers 13 months after trading for him the first time, when the Rams dealt him to Minnesota on Sept. 21, 2023.

Akers signed with the Texans in July and played five games for them this season, totaling 40 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown. He also recorded four catches for 16 yards and a receiving TD – which he scored for the Texans in Week 3 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

O'Connell noted Minnesota never stopped keeping tabs on Akers.

"Cam has been somebody that we didn't necessarily want to let go to somebody else last offseason, but good football players, that tends to happen," O'Connell said. "We credit [General Manager] Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah] and his guys for getting the deal done to get Cam back here."

The mutual respect between O'Connell and Akers was reflected in both of their media sessions.

"[My career has] been a journey, and you don't really get to run across people and coaches like K.O., who really care about the person," Akers said. "They care about the business, as well, but they care about the person, too. You know, that's K.O. That's who he is. You know, he obviously wants to win, he wants what's best for the team, but he cares about the person."

O'Connell called the addition of Akers a "depth move" for the Vikings running back corps, assuring it bears no direct correlation to the health of Aaron Jones, Sr., who is considered "week to week" with a hamstring injury.

"Aaron is going to progress throughout the week and hopefully has a chance to go on Sunday," O'Connell said. "Ty Chandler and Myles Gaskin and Cam will work behind him. I like where Ty's at, and obviously Aaron Jones has been a huge, huge impact for our team. So getting to solidify that depth at the position, with an urgency to run the football throughout the rest of the season, we wanted to make sure we could do that now when an opportunity became available."

Though Akers and Jones haven't shared a locker room until now, they've been quite aware of one another from afar and are grateful now for the chance to work together.

Jones noted he's been watching Akers since he played collegiately at Florida State.

"It brings another explosive back," Jones said. "I'm a huge fan of his game. We know mutual running backs. He's from Mississippi, and I told him, 'I knew that. I played with a running back in Green Bay who would always talk about you.' He was like, 'Who?' and I told him [it was Kylin Hill].

"I never had a chance to talk to [Akers] until today. He seems great. I'm excited to have him in our room," Jones continued. "He brings a lot of juice, and we all piggyback off each other from the knowledge to what we see on the field. I'm definitely excited to have him."

Adding Akers provides even more options for O'Connell and Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips.

"Anybody can get thrown out there. Sometimes you might have two running backs out there and now the defense is like, 'What do I do?' " Jones noted. "And being versatile, as well. I feel like our room is versatile and guys can line up out wide. I feel like we've got a special room, and I'm excited to be a part of it."

Akers, 25, plans to glean as much as possible from the 29-year-old Jones.

"[It's great] to be in the room with him, be able to learn from some of the stuff that he's done, him having so much success," Akers said. "Build our relationship, build our chemistry and help this team win. [We'll] compete but compete to make each other better."

While with the Vikings last season, Akers appeared in six games and rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on 38 carries. He also had 11 catches for 70 yards through the air.

Akers suffered a torn Achilles during Minnesota's Week 9 contest against Atlanta and spent the rest of his first Vikings stint on Injured Reserve.

Akers carried out his full rehab and recovery process at Training Haus on the Viking Lakes campus and said he's "back to 100 percent" after his second of two Achilles injuries since being drafted by Los Angeles in 2020.

"Second Achilles, most people will be at home, retired, whatever you want to call it," he said. "I'm blessed to have the opportunity to come out and show that I've still got juice."

Akers plans to show that to Vikings fans again this season. As mentioned earlier, he's already got one touchdown at U.S. Bank Stadium this fall – now he hopes to get one in a Vikings jersey.

"Gotta do it in the home jersey," he said with a smile. "I'm excited."