Vikings running back Dalvin Cook will not be showing up for camp or beyond without a reasonable extension, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
Cook leaves Minnesota in a tough spot. He had a season in which he tallied 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019, both of which were career highs.
That’s a big loss, but luckily for the Vikings, they have other running backs who could possibly be good in bigger roles.
Running back Alexander Mattison is coming off a promising rookie year. He had 462 rushing yards, second only to Cook. He had one rushing touchdown. Mattison needs to raise those numbers if he’s given the starting spot, but that seems likely.
He had only 100 rushes. Cook had 250 attempts. Mattison had 4.6 yards per carry compared to Cook’s 4.5 yards per carry. I think if Cook ends up holding out in the regular season, Mattison is the most likely candidate to step up.
Vikings running back Mike Boone had 273 rushing yards on just 49 attempts. He has a chance to become a focal point of the offense if necessary. Boone was good when he had rushes in 2019, but the receiving game was a different story.
He had three receptions for 17 yards this past season. Hopefully he can raise those numbers in case he replaces Cook, who had 519 receiving yards.
Boone started two games to Mattison’s zero, but Mattison put up the better numbers and was given more rushes. I think Boone has a chance to be the starter if Cook is gone, but Mattison is the favorite.
