Last year, the Minnesota Vikings struck gold when they landed running back Dalvin Cook out of Florida State. Unfortunately, his ability to contribute was cut short when he suffered an ACL injury in Week 4.
The second-year back has recently stated that he hopes to make an Adrian Peterson-type recovery from that frustrating injury, and by all accounts he’s ahead of schedule. Speaking about this on Monday, head coach Mike Zimmer said he hopes Cook can get some work in during the team’s OTAs.
Among other notes in there: Zimmer told me Dalvin Cook (ACL) is ahead of schedule in his rehab. Thinks he'll get work in OTAs, but will be limited until training camp. "We're excited about where he's at." #Vikings
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 21, 2018
What Cook was able to do before the injury was pretty amazing. He played in just three-plus games, being injured in the fourth. Yet in that short amount of time the rookie piled up 444 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage, averaging 5.22 yards per touch.
If Cook can get back to producing at that pace, then Minnesota’s offense should be very difficult to stop this year. Kirk Cousins is considered to be an upgrade at quarterback, and the team’s skill-position players are all top notch.