NFL
By
Adam Fromal Adam Fromal Sports Editor Adam Fromal joined the Endgame360 team in 2021 and works primarily with the Sportscasting team. He comes with a wealth of sports writing knowledge, building on a career that started in 2010, and with editing experience dating back to 2016.Adam enjoys covering all facets of the sports industry but has a particular love for basketball and the NBA. He grew up with that as a favorite and made it a career when he covered the NBA for almost a decade as a writer for Bleacher Report. During that time, he covered Denver Nuggets games and ran his own analytics website called NBA Math (a venture that he continues today).Throughout his tenure as an editor, Adam has a few other claims to fame: He helped to provide quality control for the Emmy-nominated "Game of Zones" web series at Bleacher Report and worked as a fact-checker for The Ringer's Mirin Fader on her debut book, Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP.Adam earned his bachelor's degrees from the University of Georgia in Classical Culture, Latin, and Psychology. Get to know Adam Fromal better 
Updated18 May 2022
Disclosure
We publish independently audited information that meets our strong editorial guidelines. Be aware we may earn a commission if you purchase anything via links on our pages.
Dalvin Cook has unquestionably emerged as one of the NFL’s premier running backs, but the Minnesota Vikings don’t seem content with the production he’s already provided during his five seasons with the organization. His absences in the past have forced them to change their offensive strategies, even with Alexander Mattison in place as one of the position’s elite backup options. So naturally, it’s time to amp up the 26-year-old’s role.
Of course, experimentation is the name of the game during OTAs. Any added offensive wrinkles might fail to translate to regular-season action, which kicks off in Minneapolis when the Vikings host the rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Sept. 11.
Cook caught six passes (on seven targets) for 43 yards in a season-opening road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last year, and the earliest indications from Vikings camp point toward those numbers potentially serving as more of a floor than a ceiling. Only eight running backs have recorded more total receptions over the last three years, and The Athletic’s Chad Graff reported that Minnesota is trying to line Cook up as a wide receiver in bunch sets:
Another potential wrinkle for the Vikings offense could meanDalvin Cookgets more involved in the passing game. In multiple formations, Cook lined up in bunch wide receiver sets. That could be something the new staff is tinkering with in May, or it could be something they plan on unveiling in a bigger fashion come Week 1.
The Athletic’s Chad Graff on Dalvin Cook
It’s never a bad idea to make the decision-making process easier for up-and-down quarterback Kirk Cousins, right?
If Cook does split out wide instead of lining up in the backfield, he’d likely be engaging in routes around the line of scrimmage and leaking out into the flats rather than testing downfield coverage. And if that lets Cousins get the ball into his hands even more frequently, allowing him to do damage after the catch, that’s great news for Minnesota, especially with Mattison potentially keeping defenders honest with the threat of a handoff.
This was the Vikings’ first week of practice in any official capacity with Kevin O’Connell as the head coach, and he’s sure to bring along plenty of what he learned as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator under Sean McVay over the last two seasons. That means loads of creativity with zone running serving as the base of the scheme, as well as plenty of quick passes — you know, like ones to a running back lining up in non-traditional fashion.
Is Cook going to challenge Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Austin Ekeler, Najee Harris, and the other dangerous dual-threat backfield options as a potential league leader in receptions by a running back? Probably not. But he already has a demonstrated track record of success as a weapon in the passing game:
| Season | Games Played | Targets | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Receiving Touchdowns |
| 2017 | 4 | 16 | 11 | 90 | 0 |
| 2018 | 11 | 49 | 40 | 305 | 2 |
| 2019 | 14 | 63 | 53 | 519 | 0 |
| 2021 | 14 | 54 | 44 | 361 | 1 |
| 2022 | 13 | 49 | 34 | 224 | 0 |
Cook has registered three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, rushing for at least 1,100 yards in each of them despite some missed games. And therein lies the biggest possible advantage to this newfound flexibility. Again, if it translates from the OTA setting.
His durability has often been used as the biggest knock against him, and getting him touches in lower-traffic areas —or even using him as a decoy sure to draw defensive attention —rather than asking him to pound the ball through the teeth of the front seven could help Mattison remain involved as the Florida State product stays fresh.
Maybe this turns into a big ol’ nothing-burger. We’ll find out when the Vikings line up against the Packers in Week 1. But if there’s something —anything — here, one of the NFL’s best running backs could be queued up for even more success during the 2022 campaign.
LikeSportscastingon Facebook. Follow us on Twitter@sportscasting19and subscribe to ourYouTube channel.
RELATED:Kirk Cousins Career Earnings: How the Minnesota Vikings QB Became the 17th-Highest-Paid Player in NFL History
