Vikings list Dalvin Cook as starting RB: What to expect

The Minnesota Vikings released their first depth chart and surprisingly, the starting running back was the rookie from Florida State, Dalvin Cook.

The Minnesota Vikings had an abysmal running game once RB Adrian Peterson went down last season. With Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon handling the load, Minnesota couldn’t get anything going. Their offensive line suffered due to injuries and it was a total bust from the running game standpoint.

The front office made it a priority to improve their running back room in the offseason. They started by signing RB Latavius Murray, formerly of the Oakland Raiders, to a deal. They also added another weapon in the draft in Dalvin Cook out of Florida State.

The ex-Seminoles star saw his draft stock fall due to poor pre-draft workouts and off-the-field concerns, but the Vikings may have gotten a huge steal. With a lingering injury to Murray that sidelined him during training camp, Cook has gotten all the first-team reps.

As a result, the Vikings listed Cook as their first-team running back on their depth chart, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Not much of a surprise that Cook is listed as the starter for the first game of the preseason. Murray is finally starting to practice well into training camp, while Cook has gotten all the reps thus far.

Cook is also a dynamic, versatile back that can do it all for an offense. Vikings’ fans should have a lot of expectations for their young running back. The fans in Minnesota have been spoiled with one of the best tailbacks of this generation in Adrian Peterson, but they might have gotten lucky again.

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If Cook can stay on the field for 16 games as the starter, he should easily surpass 1,000 yards rushing and add in some more through the air. He’s a versatile playmaker for an offense that currently doesn’t feature many. Expect big things from the ex-Seminole at the NFL level in his rookie season.