The Minnesota Vikings have a decision to make with their starting running back, but how does the rest of the roster stack up heading into training camp.
The Minnesota Vikings have done a tremendous job keeping their players happy over the years as they usually take care of contract situations before they become a problem. While players at almost every position have gotten paid, there is an elephant in the room when it comes time for NFL teams to pay a running back.
The Vikings are in that dreadful situation where they have to make the decision whether to pay a dynamic running back or agree with the analytical side of things and move on to a younger and cheaper option.
The dynamic running back of course is Dalvin Cook, who is looking for a big payday after having a career season in 2019. There’s a sense that something will get done between Cook and the Vikings prior to camp, but the question looming over the season is what if it doesn’t?
That would lead to Alexander Mattison getting a shot as the lead back after a season in which he had some metrics that were even better than Cook. Going further, the Vikings have the tandem of Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah, who were encased in an emergency booth and could be used again if things go south during 2020.
The bottom line is that even if running backs don’t “matter” in the modern NFL, the engine of a run-first team lives in the backfield. With Cook’s contract situation looming over the team, the Vikings will have their hands full trying to find a contingency plan for a season that many would deem must win.
The Starter
Dalvin Cook
I almost wanted to put a question mark beside Cook’s name, because we don’t know how things are going to go with his negotiations for a new contract. What we do know is that when Cook is on the field, he can make big things happen for the Vikings offense.
One of the biggest reasons that the Vikings would want to sign Cook is because of his ability to be a dynamic threat. Cook enjoyed a career year in 2019, running for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns and was an adequate piece of the passing game, catching 53 passes for 519 yards.
Those stats look great, but his role in the receiving game was predicated on what he could do with the ball in his hands. Cook led the NFL among qualifying backs last season with 11.3 yards per reception after the catch. While nobody is going to mistake Cook for Christian McCaffrey or Austin Ekeler, the Vikings could do worse with a pass-catching back.
The issue with Cook of course is his health. Even though he played in a career-high 14 games last season, he left two of them early due to injury and needed to sit out the final two games including an important divisional loss to Green Bay.
Do the Vikings need Cook to have an effective offense? Probably not. Is it better with him a part of it? You bet.
The Vikings love to keep their homegrown talent around, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Cook and the Vikings came to a compromise on a new contract. If they’re unable to do so, Minnesota will have to have a viable ‘Plan B.’
The Backup
Alexander Mattison
If the Vikings have to resort to ‘Plan B,’ they could do worse than Mattison. During his rookie season, Mattison was able to carve out a solid role for the Vikings with 462 yards and a touchdown but was also used most of the time when Minnesota had a lead.
Mattison’s usage creates a couple of questions when it comes to his effectiveness. The Boise State product ranked third in the NFL in breakaway percentage (or percentage of carries 20 yards or more) per Pro Football Focus, but it could have been a product of Cook wearing down the defense for Mattison could thrive.
There’s also the counter-argument that Mattison was facing eight-man boxes as teams tried to stop the run late, but that also leads to bigger runs as there isn’t a second wave of defense.
Perhaps the answer to what Mattison could do as the starter lies somewhere between. He’s probably not the elite breakaway threat PFF charted him as, but he’s not going to completely flop and gain under three yards per carry either.
Either way, the Vikings do have faith in him after selecting him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. If Mattison gets the call, there’s a good chance he’ll be ready to fill Cook’s shoes.
The Rest
Mike Boone
After years of solid preseason performances, fans finally got to see what Mike Boone could do on the field. As should be expected with a former UDFA running back, the results Boone had were a mixed bag but should be enough to keep him on the roster this season.
The highs were huge as Boone burst onto the scene relieving an injured Cook for two touchdowns in a Week 15 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The following week, Boone couldn’t turn water into wine with the offensive line getting pummeled and put up 28 yards on 11 carries against the Packers in Week 16.
Boone’s impressive showing wrapped up in Week 17 running for safety, but also 148 yards and a touchdown.
Unlike Mattison, there’s not an unknown level of upside when it comes to Boone’s game. He’s an all-or-nothing runner that could put up a big game on the stat sheet, but could also run himself into trouble and can’t get more than what’s blocked.
In a perfect world, the Vikings would like to use Boone only in case of an emergency, but like most of the Vikings’ roster, they could do much worse.
The Rest
Ameer Abdullah
It was tough to decide if Abdullah should get his own slide, but he plays many roles which could make him a dark horse to make the team. Although he didn’t make the splashy plays that many expected when he came out of Nebraska, he’s a solid depth player that can add something on special teams.
With 115 yards rushing, his impact on the ground was minimal, but he’s an efficient receiver in the passing game. 15 catches for 88 yards isn’t going to light the world on fire but could come in handy if the Vikings can’t reach an agreement with Cook or need to rely on Boone later in the season due to injury.
The one question surrounding Abdullah is what will come of his kick return role. The Vikings spent a fifth-round pick on K.J. Osborn in the draft and with his 20 yards per return during his senior season at Miami, there’s a chance that Abdullah could be relegated to solely a depth running back role.
It will be interesting to see what the Vikings will do with Abdullah if Cook reports on time, because four running backs (and we haven’t mentioned C.J. Ham) is a lot to keep on the roster. If Cook has any delays, there’s a chance that Abdullah could sneak in the back to keep his job.