Vikings call Dalvin Cook the ‘ideal’ running back for their team

Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak recently talked about the team’s top running back.

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings were able to earn their way back into the playoffs after a disappointing 2018 campaign. A big reason for the Vikings’ improvement last year was the performance of top running back Dalvin Cook.

Cook got his hands on the football over 300 times last season and it resulted in the running back gaining more than 1,600 total yards and scoring 13 touchdowns. Whenever he was on the field in 2019, the Vikings offense always had a chance to make a big play.

Currently, Minnesota and Cook are in the middle of negotiating a new contract. Both parties would like to get a deal done before the start of the upcoming season, but nothing has been agreed to yet.

Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak raves about Dalvin Cook.

On Wednesday, Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak met with some members of the media and, unsurprisingly, questions related to Cook were asked. Kubiak had this to say on Minnesota’s top running back.

"“Dalvin’s a great player, I don’t have to tell you guys that. He’s a great person also. I’ve been around Dalvin for one year. I knew a lot about him as a player when he came out and obviously, he’s stepped to the plate and played very well.(He) is very bright guys. He has as good a grasp on what we do and how we go about it (as anyone). Dalvin could teach class. He’s that bright and that smart of a football player.”"

Kubiak then commented on Cook’s current contract negotiations.

"“It’s part of the business. Professionals like him, they take care of themselves and you understand that they’re going to go through things like this. We all want the end product and want to go back to work, but those things take time. So we’ll let the business take care of itself and we’ll stay focus on our football.”"

Minnesota’s offensive coordinator was then asked if he believes the value of running backs in the NFL has gone down during the last few years.

"“I love running backs. I’ve had some really good ones in my day and I’ve got a couple of world championship rings because of one. We believe in running the football and obviously, Dalvin did a hell of a job doing that last year along with (Alexander Mattison), Ameer (Abdullah), and (Mike) Boone came in and helped us out. I believe that’s a big part of the game. You need everybody to win, but you guys know how much I think of a good back.”"

According to the Star Tribune’s Andrew Krammer, Kubiak also said that Cook is, “the ideal player and person,” for the Vikings. Safe to say that Minnesota’s offensive coordinator is a big fan of the top guy on their running back depth chart.

For a team like the Vikings who are not trying to break the bank in their contract negotiations with Cook, Kubiak’s comments certainly aren’t going to help them save any money.

Minnesota’s contract talks with Cook shouldn’t really be compared to other teams who have recently negotiated new deals with their running backs. The Vikings are committed to running the football like Kubiak said, so the importance of having a top talent in their offensive backfield is much more important for them than it is going to be for a number of other teams around the NFL these days.

If Minnesota wants to make any sort of noise in 2020, everyone in their building knows it has to be with Cook on the field. It would be in the best interest of the Vikings to make sure a deal with their top running back gets done sooner than later.