![]() ![]() But he also missed five games with a hamstring injury, after his rookie year in 2017 was cut short by an ACL tear. He added 40 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns. The four players will look to fill a role as the complement to Cook and replace Latavius Murray, who signed with New Orleans after rushing for 578 yards and six touchdowns while starting six games last season.Ĭook ran for 615 yards and two touchdowns with a 4.6-yard average. “But I’m definitely starting to get comfortable with the base stuff and starting to branch out into different things. ![]() “I’m not the person to ever be satisfied, so I know there’s a lot more, way more that I could be on top of,” Mattison said of learning the playbook. Mattison was drafted out of Boise State after he was second in the FBS in carries last season and rushed for 1,415 yards and 17 touchdowns. … I think we feel like they all can run, they’re all smart enough to run the offense and things like that, but it will come down to third downs and those areas.”Ībdullah doubles as the top option on the current depth chart as the kickoff and punt returner. I think the other two guys can help in change-of-pace situations. “I think Mattison has got a really bright future. “I’ll try to say this the correct way,” Zimmer said, before pausing. Then there was Mattison, who had nine carries for 30 yards and caught a touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins as the first-team offense scored on its only possession. Henderson added seven rushes for 42 yards. ![]() Abdullah ran the ball four times for 63 yards, including a 42-yard run. The team rushed for 213 yards, a single-game total the Vikings topped only once last season.īoone had four carries for 70 yards, including a late 64-yard touchdown run. Zimmer, who was mum on whether Cook would play Sunday against Seattle, and Kubiak had reason to be encouraged with the performance in the first preseason game last week at New Orleans. ![]() We can’t be, ‘OK, let’s survive till Dalvin gets back.’ We keep going forward.” “When Dalvin steps out of the game or takes his break, we have to continue to go. “I think the key with Matt and Abdulllah and those guys, they’ve got to have a role on the football team,” offensive advisor and assistant head coach Gary Kubiak said. The fourth option, De’Angelo Henderson, signed on July 24 after being waived by the New York Jets. The Vikings drafted Alexander Mattison in the third round this year, and Mike Boone has been a preseason standout. The advantage is two-fold: Cook stays fresh and injury-free, while the Vikings get a long look at a quartet of players who are trying to seize a vital spot as Cook’s backup this season.Īmeer Abdullah is the veteran of the group, entering just his fifth NFL season. – Mike Zimmer knows the potential and importance of running back Dalvin Cook to the Minnesota Vikings, so the coach is taking the cautious approach to Cook’s workload during the preseason. Backup Alexander Mattison averaged 105 yards in three games that Cook missed due to injuries but had just 41 yards on 13 carries against the Rams.EAGAN, Minn. The new protocols could provide the opportunity for Cook to have some practice time during the week.Ĭook sat out last Sunday’s 30-23 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the fourth game he has missed this season. Under the previous protocols, because he is unvaccinated, the earliest that Cook could have come off the COVID list was Saturday, one day before the Vikings play at Green Bay on Sunday night. The change is in effect for vaccinated and unvaccinated players. The NFL on Tuesday changed protocols from a 10-day quarantine period to five days if a player has no fever for 24 hours and any other symptoms are resolved or improved. The NFL’s change Tuesday in COVID-19 protocols could result in Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook returning to the team earlier than on Saturday.Ĭook, who is unvaccinated, was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list last Thursday after testing positive. ![]()
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