Fansided

5 burning questions the Vikings must answer in 2019

By Russell S. Baxter

EAGAN, MN - JUNE 11: Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer watched his team work out during Tuesday's mandatory minicamp. (Photo by Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
EAGAN, MN - JUNE 11: Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer watched his team work out during Tuesday's mandatory minicamp. (Photo by Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 16: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Miami Dolphins at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 16: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Miami Dolphins at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /

4. Can RB Dalvin Cook stay healthy this season?

Four games into his debut season, Minnesota Vikings’ running back Dalvin Cook had opened the eyes of many with his strong play. A second-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, he totaled 74 carries for 354 yards (4.8 average) and two touchdowns, to go along with 11 receptions for 90 yards during the club’s 2-2 start. But in an eventual 14-7 home loss to the Detroit Lions, Cook went down with a season-ending knee injury.

This past season, the former Florida State Seminole would lead the club with 615 yards on the ground – on 133 attempts (4.6 average) – and two scores. He finished fourth on the club with 40 receptions, good for 305 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But the young performer wound up missing five contests and after two seasons has missed more games (17) than he’s played in (15). But could the third year be the charm for the 23-year-old running back?

“I’m healthy,” said Cook to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press last week. “I was able to be me (during the spring), fly around and be Dalvin. That’s why it went smooth. Now, I’m back having fun, loving the game.”

In 2018, only the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers gained fewer yards on the ground than Mike Zimmer’s squad. With Latavius Murray now a member of the New Orleans Saints and Kevin Stefanski the fulltime offensive coordinator, the Vikings figure to lean on Cook even more than usual. That is, if he can stay on the field on a consistent basis.

Next: No. 3

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