2018 Season Preview: How good can the Minnesota Vikings’ offense be?

Could Dalvin Cook be even better?

Three games into the Vikings 2017 season, Dalvin Cook was making it real easy to forget about the guy who had his job before him, Adrian Peterson. After three weeks, Cook was leading the NFC in rushing with 288 yards and he had already set Minnesota’s single-game rushing record for a rookie in his regular season debut (127 yards).

Replacing Peterson never looked so easy and it seemed like the Vikings struck gold with another talented running back.

But then Cook got his first dose of Minnesota sports and the agony that comes with it.

During the Vikings’ Week 4 matchup against the Detroit Lions last season, the rookie running back took a carry in the third quarter and burst through Minnesota’s offensive line. After gaining about eight yards already, Cook saw a Lions defender approaching to make the tackle and the running back attempted to make a cut to the right side of the field.

Instead of getting by the Detroit defender, Cook took the breath out of U.S. Bank Stadium. The running back’s leg planted awkwardly on the turf when making his cut and the result was a torn ACL.

Just as it seemed like the Vikings had found their next great rusher, Cook’s rookie season came to an end in the blink of an eye.

He wasn’t about to feel sorry for himself about his injury though. The young running back knew he had a long journey ahead of him, but he was ready for the ride.

Following the surgery on his knee, Cook spent every day at Minnesota’s facilities rehabbing with the team’s medical staff. He also took advantage of his time off the field to dive deeper into the finer details of football.

Cook’s commitment to his recovery is what led him to participating in drills during the Vikings’ OTAs this spring and in the team’s practices during this year’s training camp.

The most recent step in his recovery came during Minnesota’s Week 3 preseason matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Cook only gained one yard on two carries, but that wasn’t the purpose of him being out on the field.

Just getting tackled again and getting back up for another play is something the running back had been looking forward too since the day he suffered his knee injury less than a year ago.

Will Cook be even better for the Vikings in 2018? Who knows, but if anyone has paid attention to the running back during his recovery process, he’s going to do everything in his power to at least give himself the chance to be better than the player Minnesota saw last season.