Getty Running back Abram Smith, formerly of the New Orleans Saints, rushes the ball during an NFL preseason game against the Green Bay Packers in August 2022.
The Minnesota Vikings have added another running back to the roster two days after starter Alexander Mattison suffered a minor injury during practice.
Minnesota signed Abram Smith, most recently of the XFL’s D.C. Defenders, following his workout with the team on Thursday, August 3.
Abram Smith of the @XFLDefenders signs NFL contract with the @Vikings.
Smith was a bonafide star during his rookie campaign in the XFL last season. The Defenders drafted the running back with the first overall pick in the league’s rookie draft. Smith then went on to lead the XFL in rushing with 791 yards and seven touchdowns, per the league’s official website.
He averaged five yards per carry across 10 games played and proved to be a big-play threat, breaking 21 runs for 10-plus yards and five rushes of 20-plus yards. Smith also caught 13 passes on 17 targets for a total of 91 yards.
Abram Smith Has Almost as Much NFL Experience as All of Vikings’ Backup Running Backs
GettyRunning back Abram Smith, formerly of the XFL’s D.C. Defenders, signed with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, August 3, 2023.
Smith played his collegiate football at the University of Baylor and entered the 2022 NFL Draft. He went undrafted and ultimately signed with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent. Smith saw some preseason action last year, but the Saints waived the running back in late August near the end of training camp.
Smith stands at 5’11” and weighs 211 pounds. He joins a position group headed by Mattison, which also includes 2022 fifth-round pick Ty Chandler, third-year return specialist Kene Nwangwu and DeWayne McBride Jr. While Smith has only preseason NFL experience on his resumé, he doesn’t enter the locker room at a significant disadvantage to any of his competition aside from Mattison.
Nwangwu has amassed 75 rushing yards on 22 total attempts across two professional seasons. Chandler ran the ball six times in 2022 for a total of 20 yards. McBride has never logged a carry in a regular season NFL game.
Alexander Mattison’s Training Camp Injury Makes Clear Vikings Need More Options at Running Back
GettyMinnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison suffered a minor injury in practice on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.
The Vikings decision to add Smith may not be directly tied to the undisclosed injury Mattison suffered Tuesday, which forced him to bow out of the practice session early. But another body in the RB room read like a logical play even before the Vikings’ prospective starter got dinged.
Minnesota parted ways with Dalvin Cook in order to save $9 million against the 2023 salary cap, so a high-profile signing of a player like former Dallas Cowboys rusher Ezekiel Elliott didn’t seem likely given the projected cost.
The Vikings might have done well to add a veteran with some actual NFL experience considering the chances are relatively good Mattison will miss at least some time in 2023, as he assumes the starting role at a high-impact position. Cook appeared in more than 14 games just once across his six-year career in purple and gold.
Former Cleveland Browns backup Kareem Hunt remains a free agent and would be a natural fit to replace Cook as a legitimate dual-threat back with a league rushing title in his past. However, Smith’s ability to separate himself as the best rusher in the XFL after making it through most of Saints training camp in 2022 bodes well for the running back to get a shot in Minnesota — where he may just surprise everyone.