Dalvin Cook Needs to Be Like Alvin Kamara for the 2022 Vikings
Josh Frey
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Throughout his NFL career, Dalvin Cook has grown to be one of the best running backs in the league. Since entering the league in 2017, his 4820 rushing yards rank third in the NFL, behind only Derrick Henry (6307) and Ezekiell Elliott (5755). All this production despite running behind a Minnesota Vikings offensive line that has consistently ranked near the bottom of the league. Even more impressive, the Vikings offense has continuously shot themselves in the foot with how he’s been used.
I’ve discussed this topic before, but year after year, Cook’s most inefficient rushes have been behind the right guard. This should come as no surprise to anyone in Vikings fandom as this position has been the weakest link on the Vikings o-line. Per sharpfootballstats.com, Cook averaged just 3.1 yards per carry on such carries in 2021 and just 3.8 yards per carry when going under the right tackle spot. Even still, 76 of his 242 attempts went in these directions, nearly one-third of his overall carries.
It was much of the same story even a year earlier in 2020. Cook’s biggest struggles came when he was forced to run behind the guard spots, yet 94 of his 312 carries were behind the Vikings guards.
Now, you might say that obviously the majority of his runs come in these spots. It’s inevitable that he will have to run in the trenches as a running back. This may be the case to an extent, but the Vikings don’t need him to pound the ball into the middle of a defense for 30+% of his touches. It makes even less sense when you consider this is going to be his sixth NFL season, and that he has had plenty of injury scares already to this point in his career.
There is reason to believe that Cook’s workload will change, despite his eagerness for getting as many touches as possible. For this new version of Cook, look no further than the hated rivals to the south, the New Orleans Saints. Alvin Kamara came into the league at the same time as Cook yet has over 1200 more yards from scrimmage and 25 more touchdowns. I’d venture to say that this isn’t because of being a more skilled player, either. Instead, Kamara has benefited from the Saints playing to his strengths, and that has led to more efficient production and better health.
The New Orleans Saints running back has created a reputation for being a terrific receiver. The Saints have used this skill to line him up all over their offense whether it be in the backfield as a screener, or even lining up as a wide receiver to get free in the middle of the field. In 2020, Drew Brees had a passer rating of 103 on the 114 targets to Kamara. This was fourth on the team among players targeted more than 30 times.
Now, imagine Dalvin Cook in a similar role. We’ve seen Cook’s targets through the air continuously drop since 2019. Once again taking a look at Sharp Football Stats, Cook saw 76 passes from Kirk Cousins that year. He caught 62 of them for 576 yards, and Cousins had a passer rating of 98 when throwing his way. Since that time, Cook saw just 54 targets in 2020 and 49 in 2021 as Minnesota seemed to try to force him into being a Derrick Henry-esque bulldozer.
As new head coach Kevin O’Connell implemented a new offense, we saw Cook line up at wide receiver for multiple sets of OTAs. Vikings star Justin Jefferson has also declared Minnesota’s offense as a pass-first group now. It makes sense that these two things would coincide. If Cook is heading towards becoming more of a receiving threat, the Vikings offense will have to run the ball less often.
Personally, I am excited to see this new version of Dalvin Cook. We’ve seen him be an explosive receiver in the past, including a 50-yard touchdown reception against the Green Bay Packers in 2020. Taking less hits should, at least in theory, bring better luck with health for the veteran running back as well. Bring on the new-look Minnesota Vikings offense.
