Dalvin Cook expects he will be ready to play by Week 1

The Minnesota Vikings running back is currently rehabbing from a torn ACL and his progress has him thinking he should be able to play in the team’s regular season opener.

It was such a buzzkill last year when Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook suffered a torn ACL just four games into the season. Cook was off to a very impressive start and one that could have easily resulted in him being name the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Since that awful event that took place during the Vikings’ Week 4 matchup against the Detroit Lions last season, the 22-year-old running back has been hitting his injury rehab hard. Cook has even been taking part in some of the individual drills during Minnesota’s current OTA sessions.

The running back spoke to the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson on Wednesday and talked about when he believes he will be able to play for the Vikings in the upcoming season.

"“I’m going to have myself ready to go by Week 1. That’s the goal.”"

Cook’s comments should not be a surprise to anyone. Both Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer and head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman have commented in the recent past that the running back is ahead of schedule in his recovery process.

The question still remains regarding how well Cook will perform whenever he returns to the field. Not everyone is a mutant like Adrian Peterson and it could take Cook a handful of games in 2018 before he resembles the player people watched last season.

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Then again, with his recovery apparently going so well this offseason, it really wouldn’t be a surprise if the young Vikings running back just came bursting out of the gates in 2018 and picked up right where he left off last season.