Can Dalvin Cook, Our Injury Prone RB, Remain The Offense’s Main Option?
K. Joudry
|
Many of us have tried to overlook, sidestep, or explain away this obvious reality. At this point, though, we really can’t get around it: Dalvin Cook is injury prone.
He is in his fifth NFL season. He has officially missed time in all five seasons due to injury.
To be clear, no one should be doubting his abilities. We can all see that he’s a supremely gifted player. In only 14 games, Cook put up more than 1500 yards rushing last season. We also ought to be able to see that he’s tough and one of our best leaders. I admire his ability to work back from injury and to be a vocal leader with his teammates.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”877912″ player=”26281″ title=”VT5AdClip_1″ duration=”187″ description=”undefined” uploaddate=”2021-10-07″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/thumb/877912_t_1633624216.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/sd/877912.mp4″]
The overall point remains, though: Dalvin Cook is injury prone.
He missed our Seattle game and was hobbled in our Cleveland game. His status for Week 5 is uncertain. Given his injury history, I think the Vikings ought to sit him against the lowly Lions. Of course, many NFL teams have regretted taking an opponent lightly, so we need to avoid this trap. Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah are fine options in the run game (and passing game, for that matter). These backs at 100% can fill-in for a Cook who is less than 100%.
Lately, I’ve been wondering what the conversations have been among Minnesota’s coaching staff. The goal is to avoid having Cook’s injury spiral into a season-long ordeal. Ideally, he can fully take care of his health so that he’s present for the long haul. Even if he does fully overcome his current injury, can we still trust him as the offense’s main option? It mostly feels like a matter of time before the next injury. Being an NFL running back is grueling, but Cook certainly seems to get hurt more than most. Should we lean even more on Kirk and those WRs? Mattison certainly needs to be a bigger focus throughout the full season.
Cook is only 26; Minnesota still has him under contract until the 2025 season. The plan, quite evidently, was (and likely still is) for Cook to be a focal point for the Vikings moving forward. It’s difficult to be this difference-maker when one is consistently hurt.
I’m of the opinion that it’s crucial for us to establish the run game against Detroit. Cook’s presence or absence does little to change that priority. Sitting him is the smart thing to do, even though he was able to get at least some work in following his mid-week DNP. Let’s take care of Detroit as Cook gets healthy. From there, prepare for a tough Carolina game before heading into the bye.