Could the Vikings Consider a Veteran RB with a Kwesi Connection?
Josh Frey
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This offseason has been chock-full of trade rumors involving Vikings RB Dalvin Cook, and unless the Vikings find a way to trade him in the next few hours, he will be released from the team.
So, let’s focus on a different aspect of the Vikings running back situation for a second. If Minnesota does indeed go through with moving on from Cook, how will they go about replacing the veteran RB’s production?
The obvious answer here is Alexander Mattison, who Minnesota re-signed to a two-year contract this offseason. However, the career backup has never surpassed 500 rushing yards in a season, and his average rushing total has been below 4.0 yards per carry in each of the past two seasons. For comparison, you’ve probably heard much talk about Cook’s career-low of 4.4 yards per carry as a reason why Minnesota should consider moving on.
Now, there is certainly a chance that Mattison can step up and be a strong contributor during his first year as the starting running back, but perhaps the Vikings should look to take the pressure off him. Ty Chandler could be an option for this role, but he remains largely unproven as well, totaling just six carries during his rookie year.
If the Vikings want to find a more battle-tested option to pair with Mattison, perhaps they could turn to another veteran that also has a connection to their current general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. That running back is Kareem Hunt.
The Cleveland Browns opted not to re-sign Hunt this offseason after the 27-year-old recorded just 468 yards at a clip of 3.8 yards per carry. He remains on the free agency market as one of the top available players.
So, why would the Vikings opt to replace an aging RB in Cook with another one? Well, there are a couple reasons why bringing in Hunt would be a little different. First and foremost, Hunt likely wouldn’t cost very much after going unsigned to this point in the summer.
Meanwhile, Cook is set to carry cap hits of $14.1 million, $15.6 million, and $13.5 million over the next three years. The Vikings can save $11 million this year by trading Cook, and they would likely only need a couple million to bring in Hunt.
Additionally, any deal for Hunt should be reserved to a one-year contract. This limits any risk of the running back taking further steps in the wrong direction in terms of production while also giving Mattison a partner to help man the backfield. Hunt also totaled over 1000 yards from scrimmage as recently as 2020, so he certainly should have more in the tank.
At the end of the day, anything is possible with the Vikings backfield at this point. Mattison is going to be the RB1. Does he need more help? That’s a question for Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O’Connell, and the Vikings to answer.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.