Minnesota Vikings: 3 Things to watch for in Preseason Week 1
By Randy Gurzi
3. Dalvin Cook post-ACL injury
Early on in the 2017 season, the Minnesota Vikings were leaning heavily on rookie running back Dalvin Cook. It was easy to see why since he was on a terrific pace.
According to NFL.com, Cook had 354 yards and two touchdowns as well as 11 receptions for 90 yards in his first four games before tearing his ACL. Had his production stayed the same, he would have gone for roughly 1,416 yards with eight touchdowns while also being on pace for 44 receptions and another 360 yards.
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A second-round pick out of Florida State, Cook was looking to be a front-runner for 2017 NFL Rookie of the Year with his performance. Sadly, that ended with the injury.
For the Vikings, they were able to stay afloat with the combination of Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon, but they still weren’t able to offer the same explosiveness Cook did.
Looking forward to 2018, the hope is he can pick up where he left off. That’s hard to predict though when a player is returning from a tough injury like a torn ACL. Fortunately, news from camp is all positive in regards to his recovery but this game will be our first chance to see that in live game action.
Cook will probably only take a few snaps in the game, but that could be enough to see if he looks fluid in his movements and comfortable making cuts on his knee. If so, this could be a big season for him.