EAGAN, Minn. — When left tackle Cam Robinson first arrived in Minnesota last week following a trade with Jacksonville, he was simply trying to learn the offense.
"We're just taking it all in right now," he told reporters on Halloween, just 24 hours after joining his new team. "Trying to be a sponge."
In a matter of three days, he transformed from a sponge to a rock, helping anchor the offensive line in the Vikings' 21-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night.
"I knew the amount of work and the amount of time it was going to take just for me to be prepared for this game, but I was all-in on that," Robinson said after the game. "My teammates and the coaches here did a good job of just preparing me, and then got me to the point where I could go out and roll."
Not only did he start after just a pair of practices with his new team, but he finished the game with a 64.4 pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus, and a run-block grade of 63.9. A pretty impressive debut for a player who had first stepped foot in Minnesota just a few days prior.
"Really, everything about him coming in was impressive," Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. "From the Wednesday he gets here, he meets with the line coaches, they come in immediately and they're like, 'This guy is a stud. He's really smart.'"
It didn't take long for Robinson to feel right at home.
"I love it. I love everything about the offense, everything about the team," Robinson said. "For me, it doesn't get any better than this."
This weekend, he'll have a rare chance to return to his former home stadium — EverBank Stadium — and go head-to-head with his former teammates on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Vikings are 6-2 and will look to keep pace in the competitive NFC North. Here are a few things to know ahead of Sunday's game in Jacksonville:
Akers brings boost to run game
Running back Cam Akers also joined the Vikings in a mid-season trade, and took his first snaps out of the backfield since being traded on Oct. 15 from the Houston Texans.
Akers, who spent time with the Vikings last season, looked right at home against the Colts as he amassed 53 total yards, including 46 yards on the ground on just six carries.
"He does know kind of the origin of a lot of the things at the base level of our offense from a standpoint of tracks and reads and where maybe some balls may hit versus some fronts or movement or things like that from his time previously with (the Los Angeles Rams)," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said of Akers. "That's what made him somebody that I've always wanted to pursue to get here because I think he's a guy that can watch the game and see how we're being defended, see how certain runs are kind of looking either on the tablet or in real-time, and then he goes out there and he can adjust on the fly."
O'Connell said Aaron Jones will continue carrying most of the workload out of the backfield, but said they'll lean on Akers and Ty Chandler to help keep Jones fresh throughout the season.
Special teams injuries
The Vikings were forced to replace two-thirds of their placekicking unit after placing rookie kicker Will Reichard (quad) and All-Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola (hand) on injured reserve this week.
The team signed kicker John Parker Romo and veteran long snapper Jake McQuaide to help fill the voids until Reichard and DePaola are healthy. Since both were placed on IR, they will be out for a minimum of four games. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said DePaola's hand injury would require a "quick procedure," adding that "he'll be on the road to returning sooner rather than later."
When asked about Reichard's return, O'Connell didn't provide a specific timetable.
"We don't know that yet, but we'll be trying to get him to a place where we can, at the very least, maybe open his window as soon as possible to get him kicking around the guys again and working back into it," O'Connell said on Wednesday. "But I think the most important thing is right now him just getting on the road to allowing that thing to just totally settle down and be a non-issue moving issue moving forward."
Reichard, a sixth-round pick of out Alabama, missed two field goals on Sunday — his first misses of the season — but finished out the game kicking the team's three extra points in the second half of their 21-13 victory.
Prior to Sunday, Reichard had hit on all 14 of his field-goal attempts, including a 58-yarder against the Houston Texans. Romo now rejoins the Vikings after spending some during the offseason with the team prior to being released in late July. In 2023, he played in the XFL with the San Antonio Brahmas where he connected on 17 of 19 field-goal attempts.
McQuaide, a 13-year veteran, joins the team after spending time with the Rams, Cowboys, Lions and Bears. He was a Pro Bowler in 2016 and 2017 with the Rams, and most recently spent time on the Bears' practice squad.
Hock is back
The highly-anticipated return of tight end T.J. Hockenson happened against the Colts with the two-time Pro Bowler hauling three of his four targets for 27 yards. He'll certainly have more of an impact on the offense moving forward, but just having him back on Sundays opens up the field for others in the passing game.
"I think it was great to have T.J. back out there, but the best thing was having that collection of three (tight ends) with T.J., Josh (Oliver), and Johnny (Mundt)," said Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell. "... We got fresh bodies that can go really handle the edge and allow our run game, considering the type of combinations we were getting inside in the run game against two really, really good interior players."
Cashman returns to practice
Linebacker Blake Cashman returned to practice after injuring his toe during Week 5 against the New York Jets in London. The former University of Minnesota standout and Eden Prairie native was a limited participant in Wednesday and Thursday's practices and could return to game action on Sunday against the Jaguars.
"I feel great," Cashman told reporters Thursday. "It's been a good week of practice for what they've been giving me. Just got to continue with what the sports performance staff and our coaches have planned, and trust that process and I think everything will turn out great."
Cashman was leading the team in tackles before getting injured and playing a major role in defending the middle of the field, both in the run and pass game, so his return would be a big boost on Sunday against the Jaguars.
Trevor Lawrence's left shoulder
Speaking of injuries, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is officially out for Sunday due to an injury to his non-throwing (left) shoulder. The team signed quarterback C.J. Beathard on Wednesday to back up Mac Jones, not knowing whether Lawrence would be starting.
"I've been through (being injured), so I think I have some experience and I know what I felt like has helped me in the past," Lawrence told reporters Thursday before the decision was made to hold him out. "I know what I've maybe lacked or needed more of from past experience, too. It's part of this business, part of this game. Everybody has to find their own way to work through injuries and to get themselves ready to play."
Lawrence is 168 of 274 passing this season for 2,004 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Jones, a former first-round pick in 2021 who struggled mightily while starting in New England, has appeared in two games this season for Jacksonville and has thrown just nine passes — completing six of them — for 28 yards.