Earlier this week, the Minnesota Vikings acquired veteran running back Cam Akers in a trade with the Houston Texans. However, a recent report indicates that the Vikings attempted to land a different running back before eventually reuniting with Akers.
According to KSTP's Darren Wolfson on Thursday, Minnesota recently made an attempt to work out a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire running back Khalil Herbert.
"Prior to the trade for Cam Akers, I'm led to believe the Vikings preferred Khalil Herbert of the Chicago Bears.
...100 percent confirmed. Not reckless speculation. The Vikings had dialogue with Chicago. Absolutely had interest in Herbert."
Days with the Minnesota Vikings seem to be numbered for Ty Chandler after recent trade rumor about Chicago Bears RB Khalil Herbert
Wolfson added that the Bears potentially wanted more in return for Hebert than what Minnesota gave up to acquire Akers earlier this week, and that's why a deal was unable to be completed.
Herbert is currently in the final year of his contract with Chicago, and after getting significant time on the field in his first three seasons with the team, he's only appeared in seven percent of the Bears' offensive snaps this year.
Since joining Chicago in 2021, Herbert has averaged 4.8 yards per rush attempt, caught a total of 45 passes, and scored 11 touchdowns in 48 appearances.
It would've been interesting to see how he would fit in the Vikings' offense, but those thoughts will have to be put on hold after Minnesota was unable to work out a trade with the Bears.
With the Vikings bringing back Akers and reportedly attempting to acquire Herbert, it's clear that the team doesn't have much confidence left in Minnesota running back Ty Chandler.
Selected by the Vikings in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Chandler has had spurts of solid play, but his performance hasn't really been consistent during his tenure with the team.
In five games this season, he hasn't found the end zone yet, and he's only averaged 3.9 yards per touch. In addition, he also has the third-lowest PFF pass-blocking grade on Minnesota's roster this year.
The Vikings clearly haven't been pleased with Chandler's play so far this season, and with Aaron Jones currently dealing with a hamstring injury, the team felt a trade was necessary.
Chandler's contract with Minnesota doesn't expire until 2026, but at this point, it would be a surprise if the team kept him around long enough for that to happen.