Texans coach DeMeco Ryans has short but sweet answer on signing Cam Akers

The Texans have been more aggressive than any NFL team this offseason addressing their roster needs. While there's still a few tweaks left on the to-do- list, general manager Nick Caserio deserves some kind of parade for the work he's put in both this offseason and last, putting together a dark-horse championship contender in just 18 months.

The latest addition to the roster is former Rams and Vikings running back Cam Akers , who signed on Sunday night after the team worked him and a few other backs out. Akers has fallen fast after a break-through 2022 season, getting traded for a sixth-round pick and then finishing with just 138 yards and one touchdown in Minnesota last year. Still, he provides quality depth at a position that's nothing if not injury prone.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was asked about the Akers signing after yesterday's training camp practice and he channeled Bill Belichick in his answer. Watch.

It's only a tiny anecdote but that direct approach helped Belichick win six Super Bowls, and it will serve Ryans well no matter how things go in Houston.

For now we are projecting that Akers will end up being the third option on the depth chart beneath Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce. However, it's possible they only brought him in as a camp body while Mixon is dealing with a minor injury. Mixon has missed the last couple days of practice with a tight hamstring, but Ryans sounds unconcerned, per Aaron Wilson .

"Joe will be fine... Joe may miss a little time, but he’ll be fine. Joe is [as tough] as the toughest competitor we have, so I’m not worried about Joe. He’ll be fine. No issues there.”

With Mixon leading the charge, Pierce backing him up and a few other promising young backs in the bag the Texans have one of the better running back rooms in the league. Not everyone agrees, though. ESPN analyst Mike Clay only ranked this unit 19th heading into the 2024 season.